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Detroit Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle is going to hit, but will he stay at shortstop?
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- Detroit Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle is going to hit, but will he stay at shortstop?
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Detroit Tigers prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark completed the 1,240-mile, 19-hour journey together across two days in late July as part of their promotions from Low-A Lakeland to High-A West Michigan, driving all the way from Lakeland, Florida to Comstock Park, Michigan.
Clark wanted to drive the entire trip without a break.
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"I was like, 'Max, I don't know if I can make it all the way,'" McGonigle said, detailing the July 21-22 adventure. "We finished up our game, drove six hours to Atlanta on Sunday, and then we drove 13 hours from Atlanta to here on Monday. It was a long drive, but we were just following each other the whole way."
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Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
The long drive to the Grand Rapids area represented the second of five stops on McGonigle's journey to his MLB debut. The 19-year-old is known for elite contact rates, smart swing decisions and supreme patience at the plate, but he still needs to make pitstops in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Toledo, Ohio, before crossing the finish line in Detroit.
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He could join the Tigers in 2026.
When McGonigle arrives, he wants to be playing shortstop for the Tigers.
"That's always been a dream of mine, to play shortstop in the big leagues," said McGonigle, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Tigers' No. 4 prospect and MLB's No. 62 prospect. "But, you know, wherever the manager tells me to play, I'm going to play. It's not up to me, but I'm going to be prepared to play any position that the manager tells me to play."
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McGonigle and Clark completed the 19-hour trip from Florida to Michigan in style, with Clark driving a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and McGonigle driving a Ford Bronco Raptor. They took turns leading the way on the highway.
"It was back and forth," McGonigle said.
Of the two, Clark is the more famous prospect.
But McGonigle separated himself as advanced on offense in Low-A Lakeland, hitting .326 with four home runs, 35 walks and 24 strikeouts across 60 games. He registered a 92.4% in-zone contact rate and an 11.4% whiff rate.
McGonigle, a left-handed hitter, makes contact on fastballs and doesn't chase secondary pitches.
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"I feel like my swing is pretty good," McGonigle said, "and I don't think I need to change it anytime soon, so I'm just going to stick to that. If I'm going to struggle, it's going to be mentally."
Mark Conner, the Tigers' scouting director, described McGonigle as "one of the best pure high school hitters in the class" after the Tigers selected him with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Conner also compared McGonigle to the entire draft class — both high school and college players — when he described his bat-to-ball skills as "up there with probably anybody in the class."
So far, McGonigle has thrived in his professional career because of those exact attributes. After moving up, McGonigle is hitting .231 with one home run, nine walks and three strikeouts across 12 games in High-A West Michigan.
"I didn't think it's too big of a jump," McGonigle said. "I just think they pitch more offspeed. In Low-A, I saw a lot of heaters, and up here (in High-A), I've been seeing a lot more offspeed, which I've been adjusting to. I'm sitting on some offspeed pitches in certain counts and getting the pitch to drive. I feel like I made a great adjustment."
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McGonigle has a long way to go, but if he develops as expected, he could hit above .275 in his MLB career, accompanied by an above-average on-base percentage. His power potential flashes the upside of at least 15 home runs.
He refuses to settle for second base because he expects to play shortstop.
McGonigle has trained with Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell .
"I saw him a lot during spring training and during the season in Lakeland," McGonigle said of Trammell, who played 20 seasons at shortstop for the Tigers and now works as a special assistant in the Tigers' front office. "Every time he was in town, I would be by his hip and listen to everything he had to say. He taught me a lot. He's the best."
West infielder Kevin McGonigle (15) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field on Aug. 28, 2022.
After the 2023 draft, McGonigle played 21 games between the Florida Complex League and the Florida State League to get a taste of the minor leagues. Trammell, who works with infielders in the minors, sent McGonigle into his first offseason with a throwing program implemented during his 21-game stint, as well as other fielding drills.
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"He had me work on a throwing program that I took with me the whole offseason," said McGonigle, who has seven errors in 42 games at shortstop this season after four errors in 14 games at shortstop last season. "And my pre-pitch and simple fielding technique, like not having too much hand movement before fielding the baseball and keeping your hands relaxed, little stuff like that."
The throwing program was designated for two reasons.
"Arm strength and carry on the baseball," McGonigle said. "Finding the four-seam grip and trying to get some carry on the ball."
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While working on defense, McGonigle hit a home run in High-A West Michigan for the first time last Sunday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, an affiliate of the San Diego Padres . He destroyed a 94 mph fastball from right-hander Isaiah Lowe for a two-run home run to right-center field.
McGonigle pulled the ball 434 feet with a 111.8 mph exit velocity.
"I hit a foul ball that week that was 111 (mph)," McGonigle said, "and I was like, 'Wow, I hit a ball 111.' I didn't think I could get it past 110, but obviously, I could. I just thought it was like 105 off the bat, the homer, but when I went in, I heard 111. I was like, 'Wow, I was shocked.' I didn't feel anything off the bat. It was one of those types of swings."
McGonigle is going to keep hitting.
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He also needs to keep improving on defense to stay at shortstop.
"I definitely got to improve a lot more with my arm if I want stick to there, and I will," McGonigle said. "Every offseason, I'll put 100% work into defense, offense, every part of my game. Hopefully, I'll be able to stick there at shortstop."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Kevin McGonigle can hit, but can defense hold up?
