Big firsts for top prospects in camp

It was an afternoon of firsts for a pair of first-round selections on Saturday.

Tigers prospect Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s Draft and MLB's No. 3 prospect, got off the schneid with his first hit of the spring. He was in an 0-for-15 skid with nine strikeouts entering action on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Brewers' Garrett Mitchell continued his red-hot start by mashing his first spring home run to center. Taken 19 picks after Torkelson, Mitchell is batting .538 this spring (7-for-13) with a pair of extra-base hits, five runs scored and four RBIs in 10 Cactus League games.

Torkelson entered as a pinch-runner for Renato Nunez in the seventh inning of Detroit's 9-3 loss to Philadelphia. The Arizona State product scored on a towering homer by Akil Baddoo before leading off the next frame. Facing righty righty Michael Ynoa, who had just entered the game, Torkelson looked at a fastball before smacking an 86.1-mph slider into left field.

Despite the hitless stretch, Torkelson has provided production for the Tigers at the plate with three walks and four runs scored in nine Grapefruit League games.

Mitchell was perfect at the plate for Milwaukee on Saturday. MLB's No. 65 prospect went 2-for-2 with a walk in the Brewers' 4-4 tie with the Rangers. In the third, the UCLA product unloaded on a 2-1 fastball to launch a moonshot over the wall in center. Two innings later, Mitchell made solid contact again and laced a base hit back up the middle before drawing a walk in his final at-bat in the seventh.

The Orange County, Calif., native has recorded at least one hit in six games this spring and is sporting a .538/.600/.846 slash line.

More top prospect performers from Saturday:

Adley Rutschman, C, BAL (MLB No. 2)
In his only at-bat of the game, the Orioles backstop hammered a two-bagger to center field for his second double of the spring. Rutschman fouled off five straight pitches before winning a 10-pitch battle against Jordan Romano, connecting with an 89.3 mph slider that caught too much of the plate. The 23-year-old is batting .333 over five Grapefruit League games. Gameday »

Julio Rodriguez, OF, SEA (MLB No. 5)
The Mariners prospect reached base safely for the fourth straight game when he legged out an infield single to third in the fifth inning. Rodriguez has three hits and two walks during this streak. The Dominican native batted .462/.514/.738 in 17 California League games in 2019. Gameday »

Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, PIT (MLB No. 9)
Hayes punched a ground ball through the right side of the infield in the third to secure his sixth hit in seven Grapefruit League games this spring. The knock also brought his average to .381. Hayes batted .376 with 14 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 24 games with the Pirates last season. Gameday »

Andrew Vaughn, 1B, CWS (MLB No. 14)
The 2019 first-round selection pinch-hit for Marco Hernandez in the sixth and lined a base hit into right to lead off the frame. The knock extended Vaughn’s hitting streak to four straight games, where he is 5-for-11 in that span. The 22-year-old climbed three levels of the Minors during his rookie campaign in 2019 and finished with a combined .278 average. Gameday »

Ian Anderson, RHP, ATL (MLB No. 18)
The right-hander retired the first four batters he faced on Saturday via punchout. Anderson went on to whiff seven of the 15 batters he faced over 3 1/3 innings. The Braves prospect racked up 41 strikeouts and held opponents to a .172 average over six starts (32 1/3 frames) with Atlanta last season. Gameday »

Randy Arozarena, OF, TB (MLB No. 34)
The Rays prospect did a little bit of everything on Saturday with a single, a stolen base and a nice sliding catch in right. Arozarena accounted for the only hit off Twins starter Randy Dobnak with his knock in the first inning. The 26-year-old hit .281 and swiped four bags with the Rays last season. Gameday »

Luis Campusano, C, SD (MLB No. 45)
The Padres backstop collected a hit for the second straight game and extended his on-base streak to five games. Campusano entered the game at catcher in the eighth and stroked a single to left later in the inning. The 22-year-old launched a home run in his Major League debut with the Padres last season. Gameday »

Alejandro Kirk, C, TOR
The Blue Jays prospect tuned in his first multi-hit effort of the spring with a pair of base knocks. Kirk drove in a run with a single to center in the second inning and then punched a ground ball through the left side in the fourth. The 22-year-old went 9-for-24 with three extra-base hits and three RBI in nine games with Toronto last season. Gameday »

Akil Baddoo, OF, DET
The Tigers prospect turned in his first multi-hit effort of the spring while demolishing a home run in the seventh inning. Baddoo turned around a 94.6 mph heater and launched it 390 feet with a 106.3 exit velocity. He also He also added a single and drove in a pair of runs. Baddoo clubbed 21 career Minor League dinger across four seasons. Gameday »

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, ARI
The D-backs righty tossed a perfect frame of relief with three strikeouts. Bukauskas has yet to allow a hit, a walk, or a run this spring over four appearances (four innings) while fanning nine. The 2017 first-rounder whiffed 109 over 92 2/3 frames across two levels of the Minors in 2019. Gameday »

Nick Pratto, 1B, KC Pratto entered the game as a defensive replacement in the fifth inning and made the most of his two plate appearances. The 22-year-old continued his impressive spring, blasting his second and third home runs of Cactus League competition. Through 13 at-bats, Pratto is batting .462/.533/.1.308 with five extra-base hits and four RBIs. Gameday »