Tork, Greene to rep Tigers at Futures Game
Jason Beck
@beckjasonWhat happens when a Tork Bomb travels through the thin air of Coors Field in Denver? We could find out sooner than expected.
A few weeks after Tigers top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene became teammates at Double-A Erie, they¡¯ll be teammates at the All-Star Futures Game. The two young sluggers will represent Detroit and the American League at the event, set for July 11 at Coors Field in Denver.
It marks the second consecutive Futures Game for which two Tigers position player prospects have been selected. Detroit sent catcher Jake Rogers and infielder Isaac Paredes to the last event two years ago along with Matt Manning, all of whom have played for the Tigers this season.
In terms of star power, however, this could be the Tigers¡¯ most anticipated contingent since Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya were part of the 2005 Futures Game at Comerica Park.
Torkelson, the Tigers¡¯ top prospect and MLB Pipeline¡¯s third-ranked prospect in baseball, was the top pick in the MLB Draft a year ago and was just getting ready for his introduction to pro ball at Tigers Summer Camp at this point last year. After a rough start, Torkelson went on a mid-May tear at High-A West Michigan and earned a promotion. Now, he becomes the first of Detroit¡¯s three top overall Draft picks to take part in the Futures Game.
Combine Torkelson¡¯s numbers with the Whitecaps and SeaWolves, and the 21-year-old corner infielder entered Wednesday batting .290 (45-for-155) with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 37 RBIs and a .949 OPS.
Torkelson¡¯s promotion reunited him with Greene, the Tigers¡¯ top pick and fifth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. The 20-year-old has been in Erie all season as one of the youngest players in the Double-A Northeast. After a slow start of his own, Detroit's No. 2 prospect didn¡¯t need long to catch up with the league.
Greene entered play Wednesday batting .284 (50-for-176) with seven doubles, two triples, eight homers, 28 RBIs and an .859 OPS. He¡¯s also 8-for-9 in stolen-base attempts. His recent feats included a near cycle with a double, a triple and a homer during a four-RBI effort June 19, part of back-to-back three-hit games, and a four-hit game Tuesday.