Arizona State Professional Athletes

The Story Behind the Debut

Six days into his MLB career, Washington Nationals reliever Erik Tolman did something most rookies don't: he made the sport secondary.

The Arizona State alum, now pitching out of Washington's bullpen, opened up this week about a 2023 minor league incident that nearly cost him part of his leg — an amputation scare so severe that Tolman said "my life flashed before my eyes." The left-hander survived it, ground through the rehabilitation that followed, and arrived in the big leagues this August as one of baseball's more quietly remarkable human interest stories.

On the mound, he's backing it up. Tolman tossed 0.2 innings in his Aug. 24 appearance against the Rockies, then followed it with a stronger 2.0-inning outing against the Marlins on Aug. 29, punching out two. It's a small sample, but the Nationals clearly believe in the arm — and the backstory only deepens the investment. For Sun Devil fans who watched him develop in Tempe, it's the kind of debut week that's hard to look away from.

Tolman's Nationals teammate Trevor Williams, also an ASU product, had a rougher go of it. Williams allowed two earned runs over 2.1 innings against the Marlins on Aug. 23 before the Nationals designated him for assignment later in the week, making room for a fresh arm. His ERA stood at 2.65 at the time of the move — solid enough on paper, but Washington opted to go younger.

Keaschall Keeps Rolling in Minnesota

Luke Keaschall has quietly turned into one of the more reliable bats in the Twins' lineup. The second baseman hit safely in multiple games during the week, going 2-for-the-game with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored against the Padres on Aug. 23, and adding a two-hit, two-RBI performance against the Athletics on Aug. 25. Keaschall carried a .271–.274 average throughout the week — a mark that reflects consistency, not a fluke.

Other Sun Devils to Watch

Brian Serven had his best game of the stretch on Aug. 23, when the Athletics catcher launched a three-run home run against the Astros to go along with a second hit — finishing 2-for-the-day with three RBI and a run scored in a 7-6 Oakland win. He cooled off afterward but remains in the mix as the A's push through August.

Khristian Curtis threw three innings of one-strikeout work for Pittsburgh against the Dodgers on Aug. 23, continuing to carve out a role in the Pirates' bullpen. A Yahoo Sports piece this week made the case that Curtis deserves more opportunities — a reasonable argument given the length and relative efficiency of his outings.

Seth Martinez factored into Boston's bullpen shuffle, with the Red Sox working through roster moves amid injuries to Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Martinez held his spot as the club navigated the crunch.

Spencer Torkelson was a consistent presence in Detroit's lineup all week, posting hits in multiple games and hovering around a .221 average — still searching for the breakout consistency that made him a top overall pick, but active and healthy as the Tigers' season winds toward its conclusion.

The week belonged to Tolman, though. Injury, recovery, debut, disclosure — all in the span of days. It doesn't get more compelling than that.

Two Sun Devils, Two Very Different Augusts

Arizona State produced two of baseball's top prospects in recent drafts. This week, Spencer Torkelson and Luke Keaschall illustrated exactly how differently those trajectories have landed.

Torkelson and the Tigers' Free Fall

Spencer Torkelson is one of five Detroit Tigers singled out for blame as the club effectively punched itself out of AL Central contention. The first overall pick of the 2020 draft is hitting just .222 through the week — a number that has been trending the wrong direction all summer — and the Tigers' collapse has been swift and damaging enough that FanSided called the weekend a franchise-defining failure.

The statistical portrait isn't pretty. Torkelson drew three walks in Saturday's loss to the Royals, but that patience at the plate has come at the cost of impact. His average slipped from .228 on August 16 to .222 by week's end, a quiet erosion that tracks with a broader Detroit offensive breakdown. Against Pittsburgh and then Kansas City, Torkelson failed to register a hit in multiple games, leaving his contributions to base-on-balls totals that don't move the needle for a team desperately needing run production.

Detroit entered this stretch with a path to the AL Central still technically alive. By Sunday, that window had closed. For Torkelson, it's another chapter in a complicated big-league story — a player with undeniable tools still searching for the consistency the draft slot promised.

Keaschall Delivering for Minnesota's Winning Club

While Torkelson's Tigers were unraveling, Luke Keaschall was quietly becoming one of the more reliable bats in a Twins lineup that keeps finding ways to win.

Keaschall had multi-hit games against Atlanta on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and added another hit Saturday against San Diego. His average climbed steadily from .266 to .272 across the period, a meaningful uptick in a late-season stretch where every at-bat carries weight.

The signature moment came Tuesday against the Braves, one of the best teams in baseball. Minnesota took the opening game of that series 4-2, with Keaschall contributing at the top of the lineup. Yahoo Sports noted his role specifically in a Twins win over a quality opponent — the kind of win that cements a team's identity down the stretch.

Keaschall, a second baseman who came to Minnesota as a relatively unheralded prospect, is building a case that he belongs in a legitimate playoff race. His .272 average and repeated multi-hit outings against elite competition suggest this isn't a fluke.

The Rest of the Sun Devil Ledger

Elsewhere in the ASU diaspora, Brian Serven continued to flash power for Oakland. The backup catcher homered with two RBI on Monday against Kansas City, part of a stretch where he recorded a hit in multiple games and raised his average from .200 to .205. Modest gains, but Serven has been a steady presence in a rebuilding Athletics lineup.

Trevor Williams of Washington was sharp in a Wednesday start against Texas, striking out five batters over 3.1 innings while maintaining a glittering 1.84 ERA. He's pitching like one of the better mid-rotation arms in the NL, even if the Nationals' record doesn't reflect it.

The Sun Devil footprint in MLB remains wide. This week, Keaschall proved it can still shine brightest exactly when the calendar matters most.

Two ASU Alumni Making Noise in the Middle of a Pennant Race

Arizona State hasn't built its baseball reputation on luck — and right now, a pair of Sun Devil alumni are reminding MLB why Tempe produces hitters. Spencer Torkelson and Luke Keaschall both turned in productive weeks from Aug. 9–15, with Torkelson emerging as one of Detroit's most important bats during a pivotal AL Central stretch run.

Torkelson Heats Up in a High-Stakes Series

Torkelson's week was the headliner. The Tigers first baseman racked up multi-hit games on Aug. 9 (2-for) and Aug. 13 (2-for, 1 RBI, 1 BB) against the Cleveland Guardians — a team Detroit is chasing in the AL Central. The stretch capped with Sportsnet confirming that Torkelson had two hits and an RBI as the Tigers blanked the Guardians 3-0, with Keider Montero doing the heavy lifting on the mound. Detroit got the shutout; Torkelson got on the board.

His Aug. 12 effort added to the résumé: 1 hit, 2 RBIs, and a walk against Cleveland. Add 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 RBI on Aug. 14 against the White Sox, and Torkelson finished the week with at least one RBI in four of his six games. His batting average climbed from .227 to .230 across the stretch — incremental, but the trend line is pointing the right direction at exactly the right moment.

If the Tigers are going to make a move in the AL Central, they'll need Torkelson to keep showing up in close games. This week suggested he's ready for that assignment.

Keaschall Keeps Getting On Base for Minnesota

Luke Keaschall doesn't make the back page, but he's quietly become one of the Twins' more reliable table-setters. The second baseman posted multi-hit games on Aug. 13 (2-for, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB) and Aug. 15 (2-for) while drawing walks in three separate appearances during the week.

His Aug. 13 home run against the Phillies was the exclamation point, but the broader picture is a player batting .268 with a disciplined approach at the plate — drawing walks against the Orioles on back-to-back days (Aug. 10 and Aug. 11) before the Phillies series. That on-base consistency is exactly what a middle-of-the-order team needs from its up-the-middle players.

Keaschall hit .262 entering the week and bumped that mark to .268 by Saturday. It won't generate national headlines, but the Twins are paying attention.

The Rest of the Sun Devil Roster

Elsewhere in the brief, Trevor Williams made two appearances for the Nationals — both limited in innings. His Aug. 12 start against the Cubs lasted just 3.0 innings with 3 earned runs allowed, though his ERA held at a respectable 2.38, suggesting the outing was an outlier in an otherwise solid season. Seth Martinez threw 1.0 inning for the Red Sox on Aug. 11, allowing 1 run. Gage Workman, meanwhile, was optioned by the Padres following the team's signing of outfielder Austin Hays in a post-deadline roster upgrade.

The week belonged to Torkelson and Keaschall — two Sun Devils making the case, in very different ways, that ASU's pipeline to the majors is still running strong.