Analysis: McGonigle's Pathway to the Tigers' Opening Day Roster

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00:00Alright, Tigers fans, gather around, let's talk about the kid everyone's buzzing about,

00:06Kevin McGonagall, he's heading to spring training with one mission, to force the Tigers hand and

00:11get that call to Detroit, a huge part of his argument, that elite plate discipline, sharpened

00:16by his scary ability to pick up pitches, his work in the Arizona Fall League was so impressive,

00:21it even got his potential future manager, A.J. Hinch, to buy him dinner, without Hinch even

00:27knowing it at the time, Hinch told the story, at the winter meetings, Tigers third base

00:33coach, Joey Cora, went down to see that group, and FaceTimed me at a dinner that I didn't

00:39know that I was going to pay for at the end of the Fall League, so I got a chance to treat

00:43him to dinner in Phoenix without even being there, Hinch will get to see him in person

00:47again soon, McGonagall made a fantastic first impression last spring as an extra from minor

00:52league camp, and this time, he's expected to get a non-roster invite to major league

00:57camp, and at some point, maybe soon, Hinch could be writing his name into the Detroit

01:03infield lineup at Comerica Park, now, at the winter meetings, Hinch and President of Baseball

01:09Operations.

01:09Scott Harris, were asked the million-dollar question, does McGonagall have a real shot

01:15at an opening-day roster spot this spring, Harris gave a classic grin and said, depends

01:20on who you're asking.

01:22Look, this much is clear, McGonagall is on the way, he will contribute to the Tigers' 2026

01:27season, the real questions are when and where in the infield he fits, in fact, part of the

01:33Tigers' entire off-season plan is built around that expectation.

01:36It's all about their philosophy, creating opportunities for young players to rise through the system

01:41and grab roles in Detroit.

01:43We haven't figured it out, Harris admitted, part of it depends on the makeup of the team,

01:47part of it depends on Kevin's preparedness to be on the opening-day roster.

01:51There are a lot of factors that go into it, we'll probably get to that once the roster is

01:56fully baked.

01:57McGonagall's rise has been meteoric.

01:59From a supplemental first-round pick in the 2023 draft to MLB Pipeline's no, two overall

02:04prospect, that's a testament to his work ethic and the Tigers' player development.

02:08He started 2024 as the Tigers' no-seven prospect.

02:12Then, between single-A Lakeland and high-A West Michigan, he posted an 8-53 OPS in 74 games

02:18before an oblique injury halted his season in early August.

02:21After a sprained right ankle on opening day at West Michigan cost him another month, he

02:25needed just seven weeks to prove the high-A Midwest league couldn't handle him, slashing.

02:313-7-2, 4-6-2, 6-48 with 19 doubles and 7 homers in 36 games.

02:38His average dipped after a July promotion to double-A Erie, but the power stayed, 12 homers

02:43and 10 doubles in 46 games.

02:45That MVP performance in the Arizona Fall League, icing on the cake.

02:48Now RBIs can be a tricky stat, but 80 RBIs in 88 games, that stands out, he hit 300 with

02:56runners in scoring position to pile up that production, and here's the eye-popper, through

03:00two minor league seasons, he has nearly a 3-2 walk-to-strikeout ratio, while hitting 308.

03:07That combo of plate discipline and impact power is the absolute blueprint of the Tigers dominating

03:13the strike zone philosophy, a stint at triple-A.

03:16Toledo could fine-tune that discipline, like it did for Colt Keith in 2023, and give him

03:21a look at the automated ball-strike challenge system, but if he comes out and pounds major

03:26league pitching this spring, skipping Toledo becomes a real temptation, especially with

03:31the prospect promotion incentive in play.

03:33If a top 100 prospect gets a full year of service time early and wins Roy or places top

03:38three in MVP Cy Young voting, the team gets an extra draft pick, McGonagall's gonna get

03:43a lot of attention, internally, externally, because he's a terrific prospect, Hinch said.

03:49They'll get a lot of at-bats in the spring, we'll have them prepared to compete for any

03:53opportunity, it may be during the spring, it might be in the first week of April, it might

03:58be later in the summer, the when might depend on the where.

04:02He was drafted as a shortstop and has started 126 of his 183 minor league games there, but

04:09he's played second base in the lower minors, and, in the Arizona fall league, they primarily

04:14played him at third to expand their options, and Harris pushed back on the defensive doubts.

04:20I do think Kevin's getting a little bit of a raw deal in the general media about his ability

04:24to play shortstop, he's gonna play a lot of shortstop in spring training, you guys are

04:29going to see it.

04:30So, Tigers fans, the stage is set.

04:33The talent is undeniable.

04:35The only thing left is to watch it unfold.

04:38What's your take?

04:39Do you think we see McGonagall at Comerica Park before the summer of 2026?

04:43And which infield spot do you slot him into?

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