{"id":608892,"date":"2026-03-06T02:24:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T02:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/608892\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T02:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T02:24:19","slug":"tigers-make-kevin-mcgonigle-decision-at-spring-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/608892\/","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Make Kevin McGonigle Decision at Spring Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Tigers<\/a> bolstered their pitching staff in a big way this offseason, signing franchise legend Justin Verlander<\/a> to a one\u2011year deal along with left\u2011hander\u00a0Framber\u00a0Valdez on a three\u2011year, $115 million contract.<\/p>\n

However, Detroit\u2019s biggest problem last year was the team\u2019s inconsistent offense. The front office did not make major additions on that side of the ball this winter, but internal improvements could help explain why.<\/p>\n

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The biggest potential difference\u2011maker is the Tigers\u2019 top prospect, Kevin McGonigle. Selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB<\/a> Draft, the 21\u2011year\u2011old shortstop is projected to become a superstar once he reaches the big leagues.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (85)\u00a9 Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

(\u00a9 Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

There is\u00a0good\u00a0reason for that belief. Last year McGonigle excelled at the Double\u2011A level, where he finished the season. Across 46 games, he posted a .254 batting average, .369 on\u2011base percentage, .919 OPS, 12 home runs and 41 RBIs.<\/p>\n

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McGonigle is also off to a strong start this spring. In 17 plate appearances, he has collected six hits, two walks, an\u00a0RBI\u00a0and one stolen base.<\/p>\n

The Tigers announced their Spring Breakout roster on Thursday, and McGonigle was one of the featured names. The showcase, designed to highlight each organization\u2019s top young talent, will give him another opportunity to display his advanced approach and all\u2011around skillset against elite competition.<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s Spring Breakout game is scheduled for Friday, March 20 against the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>, a matchup that should draw significant attention given the caliber of prospects involved.<\/p>\n

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For McGonigle, the event serves as both a developmental checkpoint and a chance to reinforce why he is viewed as a key part of the Tigers\u2019 long\u2011term core.\u00a0The showcase will give McGonigle another chance to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0why he may be closer to the majors than expected.<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s starting shortstop\u00a0mix\u00a0this year is projected to include Trey Sweeney, Javier\u00a0Baez\u00a0and Zach McKinstry, but Baez and McKinstry are utility options capable of moving around, and Sweeney is a below\u2011average hitter. McGonigle already\u00a0profiles as\u00a0a better long\u2011term fit thanks to his defense and on\u2011base skills.<\/p>\n

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If he continues trending upward, McGonigle could force his way into Detroit\u2019s plans sooner than later and become a central piece of the club\u2019s offensive future.<\/p>\n

Related: Tigers’ Tarik Skubal Makes Decision After MLB’s Big Change<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Mar 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Tigers bolstered their pitching staff in a big way this offseason, signing franchise legend Justin Verlander…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2386],"tags":[5,147,53,2583,79,1329,388,4140,4,64,38537,594,1957,398],"class_list":["post-608892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-tigers","tag-baseball","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-detroittigers","tag-framber-valdez","tag-javier-baez","tag-justin-verlander","tag-kevin-mcgonigle","tag-mlb","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-spring-breakout","tag-tigers","tag-trey-sweeney","tag-zach-mckinstry"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116179860240529032","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}