Best thing for Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubal? Jim Duquette explains
On “Days of Roar,” former general manager Jim Duquette explains what the Detroit Tigers should do with Tarik Skubal in the 2025-26 MLB offseason.
The Detroit Tigers’ top prospect, Kevin McGonigle, is not expected to make the 2026 Opening Day roster.
The 21-year-old profiles as the best pure hitter in the minor leagues and projects to bring an elite blend of swing decisions and contact to the big leagues.
The Tigers are committed to promoting McGonigle for his MLB debut in the 2026 season, but not for Opening Day in late March. There’s a chance he doesn’t play his first MLB game until mid-August, which would preserve his rookie eligibility for 2027.
“I think it’s premature to have that conversation,” general manager Jeff Greenberg said Nov. 12 at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, when asked if McGonigle will be considered for the Opening Day roster as a participant in MLB spring training.
The Tigers want McGonigle – the No. 2 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline – to continue his development in the minor leagues.
That means playing in Triple-A Toledo in 2026.
“There’s still more development there,” Greenberg said. “It’s not necessarily a commentary on Kevin, but it’s just a commentary on the realities of how hard it is to make that transition and the importance that we foster that environment to put these guys in the best position possible.”
In 2025, McGonigle – the No. 37 overall pick in the 2023 draft – hit .305 with 19 home runs, 59 walks and 46 strikeouts across 88 games, including 36 games for High-A West Michigan and 46 games for Double-A Erie.
The Tigers promoted McGonigle from High-A to Double-A in early July with two other top prospects: center fielder Max Clark and catcher/first baseman Josue Briceño.
“We saw it with Kevin and Max going from A-ball to Double-A,” Greenberg said. “It’s a faster game as you move up. Kevin at the shortstop position, that transition, that faster pace of play, he had to make some adjustments.”
McGonigle hit just .254 in 46 Double-A games, but he showcased advanced impact and discipline: 12 home runs, 33 walks and 26 strikeouts in 206 plate appearances, posting a .919 OPS. He played exclusively shortstop for the SeaWolves.
His 162 wRC+ ranked second among 335 Double-A players with at least 200 plate appearances, trailing only outfielder Spencer Jones in the New York Yankees organization. (League average for wRC+ is 100, so McGonigle was 62% better than the average Double-A player.)
For comparison, here are some current Tigers who passed through Double-A Erie as top prospects: Spencer Torkelson hit .263 with a .933 OPS in 50 games, Riley Greene hit .298 with a .905 OPS in 84 games and Colt Keith hit .325 with a .977 OPS in 59 games.
All three played in Triple-A before making their MLB debuts.
Under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, the Tigers have never promoted a prospect directly from Double-A to MLB – even requiring right-hander Jackson Jobe to make two starts in Triple-A before his MLB debut in September 2024.
“The importance of reps at each level is part of that development path,” Greenberg said when asked if McGonigle needed Triple-A time before his MLB debut. “That extension from Double-A to Triple-A, getting those reps is part of that development runway to create that environment where we put him in the best position possible to have success when he is in the big leagues.”
McGonigle wrapped up his 2025 season in the Arizona Fall League, where he dominated the hitter-friendly environment for the Scottsdale Scorpions. He hit .362 with five home runs, 19 walks and 12 strikeouts in 19 games, producing a 1.210 OPS en route to being named MVP of the Fall League.
The Tigers used the Fall League to introduce McGonigle to third base, expanding his defensive versatility to three positions: shortstop, second base and third base. In his 19 AFL games, he logged 101â…“ innings at third base and 48 innings at shortstop.
“We view him as a shortstop,” Greenberg said. “We feel like he has the attributes and the motor to play there, but we’ve gotten him reps at third base for a reason. As an organization, that versatility is something we’re going to continue to value.”
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There are service time considerations.
If McGonigle isn’t on the 2026 Opening Day roster or isn’t promoted for his MLB debut within the first two weeks of the season, the Tigers would be incentivized to wait until mid-August. Doing so would preserve McGonigle’s rookie eligibility for 2027, which in turns preserves the Tigers’ eligibility for a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick.
In that scenario, the Tigers would receive an extra top draft pick if McGonigle wins AL Rookie of the Year in 2027 – or if he finishes in the top three of AL MVP voting in 2027, 2028 or 2029.
“He’s put himself in a position to be considered as a real contributor at some point in 2026,” Greenberg said. “We’re still going to prioritize his development to make sure we put him in the best position possible to have success. It was just over 200 plate appearances in Double-A.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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