On every young player’s trajectory to the major leagues, expectations will color perception. If Spencer Turnbull had entered the 2019 season as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, you’d probably be hearing and reading a lot about him nationally. Instead, what the Tigers appear to have in the 26-year-old right-hander, is a late bloomer catching people by surprise, and perhaps a pretty good one.
That isn’t to say that Turnbull didn’t have some pedigree. He was a late second round pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2014 amateur draft. His junior season he was the ace for the University of Alabama, pitching in one of the better baseball conferences.