Tigers prospect rises to No. 1 overall in Baseball Prospectus rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Detroit Tigers have the No. 1 prospect in baseball. And no, it’s not Max Clark.
Baseball Prospectus released its midseason Top 50 rankings on Wednesday, and Kevin McGonigle, Detroit’s 19-year-old shortstop, is at the very top.
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McGonigle’s rise isn’t just about tools. It’s about performance. Consistency. Pure bat-to-ball skill.
“The best hit tool projection we’ve seen in a hot minute,” BP evaluators Jarrett Seidler and Jeffrey Paternostro wrote. “He hits the ball hard more consistently than anyone on this list. He hits the ball to good parts of the stadium. He makes great swing decisions.”
McGonigle enters the break with an 84% overall contact rate and a 10% strikeout rate—numbers that would be impressive for a polished college bat, let alone a teenager in his first full pro season. The left-handed hitter was a competitive balance pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and has quickly outpaced even optimistic projections.
While most of the industry spotlight has focused on Clark, McGonigle has quietly become the most reliable offensive force in Detroit’s farm system. And now? He’s getting national recognition to match.
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The Tigers’ rebuild has centered around pitching and power. But in McGonigle, they may have found something else—a potential star built on elite feel, not flash.
There’s a long way to go, but Detroit hasn’t had a No. 1 overall prospect since Spencer Torkelson. McGonigle is earning every bit of the hype. And this time, the hit tool might be more than just projection.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.