The Detroit Tigers have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. Tigers prospect shortstop Kevin McGonigle is the top prospect in Detroit's farm system, and he is the second-best prospect in all of baseball, according to mlb.com.
McGonigle was the 37th overall pick for the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft. He is only 21 years old and currently plays for the Erie Seawolves at the Double-A level. There have been Tigers fans who wanted to see him called up to the big club in September, but a promotion to the big leagues won't happen for him most likely until the 2026 MLB season.
NL Scout Has High Praise for the Detroit Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle
McGonigle played in six games for the Lakeland Flying Tigers in Single-A and played in 36 games for the Western Michigan Whitecaps during the 2025 minor league baseball season before being called up to Double-A Erie. McGonigle has played in 37 games for the Seawolves. With Erie, he has a .255 batting average with nine home runs and 34 RBIs, along with five stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .370.
Well, one NL scout had high praise for the Tigers top prospect. Emily Waldon, a Tigers prospect writer for Baseball America wrote on her Twitter page about what an NL scout said about McGonigle,
"I really hope people understand what a pure talent we’re seeing with Kevin McGonigle.”
He is projected to reach the MLB level sometime during the 2026 season. There is no doubt that McGonigle is going to get a serious look to make the big league club out of spring training next year. If he does not start with the Tigers next season, McGonigle will probably spend the first few weeks in Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens.
In 79 games overall in the minor leagues in 2025, he has a .311 batting average with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs, along with eight stolen bases. McGonigle also has a .413 on-base percentage. It is understandable why Tigers fans are very excited about this player for the future. The NL scout who is praising McGonigle is seeing what the rest of the Detroit fanbase is also seeing with this potential future superstar player.
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