The Tigers know Spencer Torkelson has the potential to be an elite hitter. At Arizona State, he hit 54 home runs in fewer than three seasons. Patrick Breen, Patrick Breen/The Republic

Spencer Torkelson sets bonus record with Tigers contract

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/30/20

Spencer Torkelson is officially a member of the Detroit Tigers, and also a very wealthy man.

As first reported by MLB.com’s Jim Callis, the No. 1 overall pick signed with the Tigers on Monday and received a bonus of $8,416,300. That’s slightly over slot, and is also a record bonus for an MLB draftee.

No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson signs with @Tigers for $8,416,300 (slot value = 8,415,300). New @MLBDraft bonus record, also first No. 1 overall pick to get or top slot value in bonus-pool era. Perhaps the best all-around offensive talent to come out of Draft in 20 years.

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 30, 2020

Spencer Torkelson $8,416,300 bonus from the @Tigers is an all-time @MLBDraft record, eclipses the $8.1 million the @Orioles gave Adley Rutschman a year ago. Here are the top 20 bonuses in Draft history: pic.twitter.com/ap3bAI3H63

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 30, 2020

The Tigers know Torkelson has the potential to be an elite hitter. At Arizona State, he hit 54 home runs in fewer than three seasons. That’s incredible power for a college hitter, and the Tigers were not letting him get away.

The expectation now is that Torkelson will join the Tigers’ player pool for the shortened season. That means we could actually see him at the MLB level in 2020.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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