Meet 7 prospects Detroit Tigers are sending to Arizona Fall League, including Kevin McGonigle
On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold and Chris Brown discuss the seven prospects from the Detroit Tigers participating in the 2025 Arizona Fall League.
Kevin McGonigle’s impressive 2025 season has ended with hardware.
McGonigle, the Detroit Tigers‘ No. 1 prospect (and baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline), was named 2025 Arizona Fall League MVP on Friday, Nov. 14.
He slashed .362/.500/.710 in 19 games for Scottsdale, leading the league − used to develop prospects − in extra-base hits (12) and total bases (49), ranking second in runs (22) and homers (five) and third in slugging and OPS (1.210).
McGonigle joins a list Joe Black MVP Award winners that includes Nolan Arenado (2011), Kris Bryant (2013) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2017). McGonigle is also the second straight Tigers prospect to win it, following Josue Briceño in 2024 after hitting for the Triple Crown, the first in AFL history (now 33 years).
McGonigle tries to keep a simple mindset when hitting.
He hit .305 in the minor leagues in 2025 across High-A (West Michigan) and Double-A (Erie), with 19 homers, 59 walks and 46 strikeouts in 88 games.
In Erie, he hit .254 with 12 homers, 33 walks, 26 strikeouts in 46 games, posting a .919 OPS.
“I like saying it’s hitting dumb almost,” McGonigle told MLB.com during Fall League. “Just going up thinking fastball and then just reacting to the off-speed and just trying to put a good swing on the pitcher’s mistake. If you lose one in the heart of the plate, just make a good swing and connect with it. And if you don’t, then keep battling.”
McGonigle, 21, played shortstop in the minors in 2025, and said defense was most important to him this fall.
“My main thing was the defense side of the game,” he told MLB.com. “Everyone says I can hit and I’m a little iffy on the defense, but I want to prove those people wrong, so that’s why I’m out here, I’m really locked in at shortstop and third base, and I look forward to keep working hard out there.”
McGonigle missed about a month during the 2025 season with an ankle injury, so he was able to get extra reps across the fall season that lasted five weeks.
He will compete for a starting job in Tigers spring training in 2026, though a midsummer promotion might make the most sense.
McGonigle, the 37th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of a suburban Philadelphia high school, was the second selection made by president of baseball operations Scott Harris. The Tigers selected high school outfielder Max Clark at No. 3 in the first round. Clark, 20, is the club’s No. 2 prospect (No. 8 overall, per MLB Pipeline).
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