It’s Time for the Tigers To Call Up Kevin McGonigle

There’s nothing fans love more than demanding a prospect get called up to the big league club. All problems are always solved by a 22-year-old joining your favorite team, right? While most promotion demands are premature, Detroit Tigers fans might be right with their cries for Kevin McGonigle to join the major league club.

McGonigle, the Tigers’ 37th overall selection in the 2023 draft, just turned 21 this week and only recently joined Double-A Erie. While most prospects need roughly a year at Double-A and at least some time in Triple-A, McGonigle is not like most prospects.

Just Baseball’s no. 1 overall prospect, McGonigle has already shown that he cannot be put on the same scale as most of his peers. We are talking about a unique talent that is advanced well beyond his age and flashing what it takes to truly be an elite hitter, even at the major league level.

Although the Tigers have the most wins in the American League and the second most in baseball, the team could use some help offensively. A jolt. A spark. Something injected into their lineup that they did not add at the deadline – perhaps because of what they knew they already had in their back pocket.

How McGonigle Can Help the Tigers Offense

What makes McGonigle a special prospect is his bat. You do not have to be a seasoned scout to notice how McGonigle just looks different in the box. Quick hands, incredible bat control, and a silky smooth swing translate into one of the best hitters in the minor leagues.

Since joining Double-A Erie, McGonigle has slashed .286/.384/.600 with seven home runs, four stolen bases, and a 179 wRC+. More impressively, he is walking at a 14.4% clip compared to only an 11.2% strikeout rate. So many young prospects show ability but need time to make better swing decisions, lower their strikeout rate, and prepare for big league pitching. Not McGonigle.

The Tigers organization preaches owning the strike zone. Taking your walks, not striking out too much, and making every at-bat a battle. McGonigle already checks that box while also showing power and plus contact rates.

As you can see in the video above, which is provided by our good friends at Tigers Minor League Report, McGonigle already has the hands to not only catch up to 100 mph up and in, but to put a great swing on the pitch and take it out pull side, against a fellow top-100 prospect.

Although it is only one swing, you only need one swing to show this level of talent and unique ability. This is the type of pitch the best big leaguers can, and will, throw, and McGonigle handled it with ease.

I think he will be more of a gap power hitter than a home run hitter, but the Tigers could use any boost to their offense. Gleyber Torres has taken a massive step back, posting a .576 OPS over the past month. Zach McKinstry has come back to earth with a .631 OPS. Javy Baez is at .632. Riley Greene, and others, have cooled off as well.

McGonigle is not likely to produce quite like he has in the minors if called up, but he might at least be better than a number of options the Tigers have relied on. His bat-to-ball skills, paired with how often he gets his “A swing” off, make me believe the adjustment period will not be as harsh as it is for most rookies.

In fact, McGonigle’s ability to make great contact in any area of the zone is what I like most about his game. He does not need a certain pitch in order to do damage and has the ability to take the ball the other way, shoot a line drive up the middle, and pull an inside pitch down the line.

When I say he’s an advanced hitter, I mean it. You don’t see many 21-year-olds with this level of bat control and ability to impact the baseball.

The Tigers do not need him to be an All-Star right away. They just need him to be better than Trey Sweeney and others alike. If added to the big league roster, McGonigle gives the Tigers a higher ceiling, but I’d also argue a higher floor. Rookie or not, I see a path where his offensive ability is better than what we have seen from other fringe players on the roster.

Of course, a roster move would be needed in order to add McGonigle, but I don’t see that as a problem.

How McGonigle Fits

In order for McGonigle to join the roster, his contract must be selected, meaning corresponding active roster and 40-man roster moves must be made. Trey Sweeney could be demoted to Triple-A Toledo to clear an active roster spot, and Parker Meadows could be moved to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot.

Meadows has dealt with injuries all season and was quite awful, likely due to injury, in his limited playing time. I think it is better to give him the extended stay on the IL and worry about additional roster moves down the line. The Tigers could DFA a player, but I imagine a move to the 60-day IL is coming first.

McGonigle would slot in at short immediately. His defense is not nearly to the level of Baez’s, but it is also not nearly as poor as the reputation he has somehow developed recently would suggest. His range is not great, which could eventually lead him to playing second, but for the time being, he is more than passable at short.

McGonigle taking over at short would allow for McKinstry to return to more of a superutility role, in which he sees time as the primary backup at shortstop, third, and second, while also getting starts in right, pushing Wenceel Perez to center when Baez needs a rest or with a tough righty on the mound.

The Tigers would not need to force McGonigle into the top of the lineup, either. He could start near the bottom of the order while he gets his feet wet and eventually move up if he hits to a level that demands it.

Final Thoughts

The Tigers did not add a bat at the deadline, instead choosing to rely on their internal options. Since then, a number of their rostered players have returned to the level that the back of their baseball cards have shown throughout their careers. In many ways, it’s not their fault; they just are what they are.

Detroit has built this special season and earned the right to take a risk. Adding McGonigle could give this team a lift and serve as a catalyst, making them to a more complete, and deeper, team heading into October.

We all know McGonigle will be an option in 2026, so adding him to the 40-man roster now is not a problem or a risk.

I’m not usually one to pound the table for fast promotions, but this situation is different. This player is on a different level than most to come through the system in recent memory, and the need aligns. If the Tigers want to make a postseason run, they need their best 26 players, and that includes McGonigle.