A couple of caveats, Castrovince writes, concerning his picks: He steered clear of “repeats and otherwise obvious favorites,” which helps explain why he isn’t projecting a three-peat for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the race for the AL Cy Young Award. He picks Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet instead, and includes “we can\u2019t even be totally certain Skubal is in the AL in 2026<\/a>.”<\/p>\n More: Tigers’ boss Harris on Skubal chatter: ‘I can’t do my job without listening’<\/a><\/p>\n The repeat rule doesn’t apply in McGonigle’s case, obviously. The 21-year-old shortstop is MLB’s second-ranked prospect according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, and is coming off a season in which he slashed a combined .305\/.408\/.583\/.991 at three levels (including a rehab stint at low-A Lakeland), with 19 home runs, 80 RBIs and 10 stolen bases, finishing at Double-A Erie. More than half of his 101 hits (52) went for extra bases.<\/p>\n More: Detroit News 2026 Top 50 Tigers prospects<\/a><\/p>\n McGonigle carried that work over to the Arizona Fall League, where he earned Most Valuable Player honors<\/a>.<\/p>\n McGonigle, who has played primarily at shortstop in the minors,\u00a0is expected to get a long look from the Tigers<\/a>\u00a0in spring training come next month.<\/p>\n “McGonigle\u2019s approach and bat speed are impressive,” writes Castrovince, who noted McGonigle’s 46 strikeouts against 59 walks in 88 games. “He might not crack the Tigers\u2019 Opening Day squad at shortstop like some fans will hope, but I think there will be ample opportunity for him in 2026.”<\/p>\n Also making Castrovince’s early predictions is former Tiger Don Kelly, who is the writer’s early pick for National League Manager of the Year, though he prefaces his reason with, “Let\u2019s finish this off with a wild one. Go-big-or-go-home kinda stuff.”<\/p>\n Kelly, who was a fan favorite as player for the Tigers from 2009-14, went 59-65 in his first season as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager last season, promoted after Derek Shelton was fired in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The Pirates have a good pitching staff fronted by (Paul) Skenes, who is probably destined for a second Cy now that I picked someone else,” Castrovince writes. “So that\u2019s a good start. What they couldn\u2019t do in 2025 (and plenty of other years) is hit. They\u2019ve been looking to change that this winter, and Kelly is a native Pittsburghian who will emerge as one of the great stories of the 2026 season in guiding the Buccos back to October (via a Wild Card spot, let\u2019s not get too crazy) for the first time in more than a decade.”<\/p>\n From 2025: Don Kelly returns to Detroit as a manager in the mold of mentors Jim Leyland, AJ Hinch<\/a><\/p>\n
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