Tigers use No. 1 pick on Sun Devils slugger
NEW YORK — Spencer Torkelson slugged his way through college, bashing baseballs all around the country with eye-popping power. All those impressive home runs made the decision easy for the Detroit Tigers, who made the Arizona State star the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft Wednesday night. While the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Torkelson was long considered the favorite to go first overall, the surprise came when he was announced as a third baseman by commissioner Rob Manfred, rather than a first baseman. Detroit plans to move Torkelson to the hot corner from first base, where he played in college. Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad went No. 2 overall to the Baltimore Orioles, who took Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the top pick a year ago. After having the worst record in the majors last season, Detroit opened the draft for the second time in three years. The Tigers took Auburn right-handed pitcher Casey Mize in 2018, and now they’ve got a powerful bat that could anchor their lineup for years to come to go along with an arm they hope is a future ace. After Torkelson and Kjerstad were picked, the Miami Marlins took Minnesota right-hander Max Meyer; the Kansas City Royals selected Texas A&M lefty Asa Lacy; the Toronto Blue Jays went with Vanderbilt shortstop Austin Martin; the Seattle Mariners chose Georgia righty Emerson Hancock; and the Pittsburgh Pirates picked New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales. Outfielder Robert Hassell of Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, ended the run on college players, going No. 8 to the San Diego Padres.
SOCCER
› Major League Soccer is resuming its 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic on July 8 with a World Cupstyle tournament in Florida that won’t include fans in the stands. The league’s 26 teams will be divided into six groups for the opening round of the tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort. Sixteen teams will advance to the knockout round, with the winner earning a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. The group matches will count toward the regular season, the league said. Teams had played just two games to start the season when the league suspended play March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While in Florida, players will be sequestered in the resort and be subject to a rigorous testing protocol. Each team will have three group matches, played over 16 consecutive days with multiple games a day. Games will be played in the morning and the evening to avoid the heat. Players will be tested for COVID-19 before they leave for Orlando and when they arrive, as well as during the competition, and team staffs also will be tested. League commissioner Don Garber noted on a conference call with reporters Wednesday that it will be impossible to test everyone who might come in contact with players, such as hotel staffs.