Detroit Tigers Top Infield Prospect Earns Midseason Honor
The rise of Kevin McGonigle could be quick.
The Detroit Tigers prospect is just 19 years old and is just one year into his professional career. But he’s already wowing scouts and analysts who watched him at Class A Lakeland earlier this year.
He was so impressive that Baseball America selected McGonigle as the Detroit Tigers’ as the organization’s midseason player of the year.
The publication wrote that he’s jumped over two infield prospects that had previously been considered the organization’s top infield prospects — Hao-Yu Lee and Jace Jung, the latter the younger brother of Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung.
Baseball America didn’t write that Lee or Jung had faltered in any way. McGonigle has simply been better, writing that if he “… develops a plus tool, it will be his hitting ability.”
That has definitely been on display in the Florida State League. He’s slashed .323/.404/.456/.860 with three home runs and 34 RBI in his first 59 games in 2024. That includes a short stay on the Lakeland 7-day injured list.
Last year McGonigle, who can play both middle infield positions, started his professional career with games at the Florida Complex League and with Lakeland and excelled in a small sample size — .315/.452/.411/.863 with one home runs and six RBI.
Speed is a part of his game, too. While he stole eight bases in 21 game last year, he’s already pilfered 19 bases in 59 games in 2024.
McGonigle is the Tigers’ No. 4 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline. That site projects he could arrive in Detroit in 2027, but the way he’s playing may put him on a faster track. Max Clark, the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2023, is the system’s No. 1 prospect, followed by Jackson Jobe, Jung and McGonigle.
The Tigers selected him No. 37 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and signed him for $2.85 million. Before signing the deal he was committed to play baseball at Auburn as a freshman at Bonner & Prendergast (PA) Catholic High School.
While in high school he competed in the prospect development pipeline program managed by USA Baseball, which also gave him exposure to MLB scouts. That helped him earn a spot on the U.S. Baseball U-18 team in 2022, which played in the World Cup. That team won a gold medal. He was also the Philadelphia Catholic League Player of the Year and the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year.
MATT POSTINS