The Undrafted Kid

Undrafted

Spencer Torkelson went undrafted out of Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California, in 2017. He went with his uncle to a hitting facility and said he would become a first-round pick out of college. He later called the snub the best thing that happened to him, because it forced him to work harder and put everything in perspective.

He enrolled at Arizona State and led the nation with 25 home runs as a freshman, breaking Barry Bonds' school freshman record. The Detroit Tigers took him first overall in the 2020 draft and signed him for a then-record bonus of $8,416,300.

Five Hundred

On July 29, 2026, Torkelson collected his 500th career hit. He has played all 638 games of his major-league career for Detroit, debuting on April 8, 2022. Five seasons at first base: 100 home runs, 119 doubles, 300 RBI, a .227 average. His hits now stand at 521. Arizona State coach Tracy Smith once described him as a generational-type player.

Petaluma

Torkelson grew up the son of Rick and Lori, partners in a Petaluma accounting firm. He played everything — football as a running back and linebacker, basketball, youth hockey, soccer. He was a Giants fan whose favorite player was Barry Bonds, and the family never left Giants games early.

His uncle Joe Enochs was a soccer star in Germany. When Spencer was six, visiting during the 2006 World Cup, he wore his baseball uniform every day walking around town. His mother said seeing his uncle's local celebrity and work ethic left a major impression that anything is possible. During the pandemic quarantine before the 2020 draft, it was his uncle throwing him batting practice back home in California.

He is 26 years old, in his fifth season, still at first base for the Detroit Tigers.

Reporting: MLB.com, ESPN, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.