The Detroit Tigers have the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years, and while it's expected the Tigers will take Arizona State's Spencer Torkelson when the first round of 2020 MLB draft begins Wednesday, there still are two prospects who could challenge for the top spot:
Vanderbilt's Austin Martin and Texas A&M's Asa Lacy.
Will Torkelson's power bat be enough? Could Martin's versatility make him the go-to guy? Or will Lacy, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, give the Tigers the most formidable group of pitching prospects in the minors?
The consensus among draft experts is that Torkelson is the guy, but with the 2020 draft consisting of just five rounds rather than the usual 40, all three players make sense.
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The draft begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday with the Tigers on the clock. Rounds 2-5 start at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the three draft targets for the Tigers:
1B Spencer Torkelson
Age: 20
School: Arizona State, junior
Career stats: 129 G, .337 avg., 54 HR, 130 RBIs, .463 OBP, .729 SLG, 110 BB, 104 SO
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The buzz: With Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal at the forefront of Detroit's pitching rebuild, Torkelson has all the makings of a future offensive star with his mind-boggling power. He hit 48 home runs over his first two seasons at Arizona State and played two summers in the Cape Cod wood-bat league. Put him in the farm system with outfielder Riley Greene, the first-round pick from 2019, and the Tigers are well on their way to addressing the lack of bats in their system.
If he's picked by the Tigers, Torkelson will join Adrian Gonzalez (Marlins, 2000) as the only true first basemen selected No. 1 since the draft began in 1965.
3B/OF Austin Martin
Age: 21
School: Vanderbilt, junior
Career stats: 140 G, .368 avg., 14 HR, 76 RBIs, .474 OBP, .532 SLG, 43 SB, 85 BB, 82 SO
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The buzz: The case for Martin is simple: He can do just about everything. He has gap-to-gap power, steals bases at a high rate, flashes bits of power with 39 career doubles and four triples and projects to play second base, third base or outfield in pro ball.
The Tigers already have top infield prospects in Isaac Paredes and Willi Castro, but Martin's instincts might be unmatched. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin believes the utilityman will develop home run power, and if Detroit is willing to take a chance on that becoming a reality, he could be the No. 1 pick.
LHP Asa Lacy
Age: 21
School: Texas A&M, junior
Career stats: 42 G (21 GS), 152 IP, 14-5 W-L, 2.07 ERA, 1.013 WHIP, 224 SO, 8 BB
The buzz: ESPN draft expert Kiley McDaniel thinks Detroit is deciding between Torkelson and Lacy. That's because Lacy is the only player in the projected top three picks that isn't represented by agent Scott Boras. Since Boras is going to get the most money possible out of the Tigers, a financially cheaper pick in Lacy means Detroit "would likely target an over-slot prep at No. 38 as a complement to spend the savings," McDaniel wrote in late May.
And Lacy's SEC power arm fits Detroit's interests. Before the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the lefty was 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA, 46 strikeouts and eight walks in four games (24 innings).
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
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