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Tigers Baseball Report

Kevin McGonigle's April Was So Good the Award Was Never in Doubt

This was a no-brainer for MLB insiders as the Tigers' rookie is performing in ways that could lead him to his first of many All-Star selections.
Maddy Dickens|
Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle
Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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Detroit Tigers

There isn't a fan of baseball who does not know of the rookie shortstop for the Detroit Tigers, as this 21-year-old is setting the majors on fire. Mind you, he skipped Triple-A entirely, but is performing in ways that could get him his first of many All-Star selections.

Kevin McGonigle has been nothing short of incredible, so it isn't a surprise that he was named AL Rookie of the Month, voted on by journalists who have been covering the sport for years—one of the easiest decisions these insiders had to make.

Amongst rookies who have played in at least 20 games, McGonigle's name is plastered across the leaderboard.

  • .300 Batting Average- 1st (only rookie above .280)
  • .402 On-Base Percentage- 1st (only player above .400)
  • .460 Slugging Percentage- 3rd
  • .862 OPS- 2nd
  • 16 Drawn Walks- tied for 2nd
  • 9 RBI- tied for 5th
  • 2 Homers- tied for 6th
  • 1 Triple- tied for 2nd
  • 8 Doubles- tied for 1st
  • 30 Hits- 1st
  • 19 Runs- 1st

Again, McGonigle is performing like a veteran, not a young gun who is barely old enough to drink. As an all-around weapon, he has the clear upper hand over the rookies at this point, so let's take a look at how he is doing against some of the best in the AL, because he is definitely in the conversation of the way-too-early All-Star selections

McGonigle Compared to Other Shortstops in '26

Kevin McGonigle shouts in celebration in a white Tigers unifor
Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) celebrates after scoring in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In 2025, the selected shortstop for the AL was a rookie from the Athletics, Jacob Wilson. Another first-year player could easily be chosen again, as he is neck and neck with some of the best the game has to offer.

*These rankings are looking at only qualified shortstops in the American League

  • .310 Batting Average- 1st (only one above .300)
  • .404 On-Base Percentage- 1st (only player above .400)
  • .476 Slugging Percentage- 2nd
  • .880 OPS- 1st
  • 39 Hits- 2nd
  • 23 Runs Scored- tied for 1st
  • 11 Doubles- 1st
  • 2 Triples- 1st
  • 19 Drawn Walks- 3rd
  • 2 Home Runs- tied for 10th
  • 14 RBI- tied for 12th

The fact that McGonigle just took home his first major league accolade is an important milestone to acknowledge, but it will be a small blemish compared to what he is going to do throughout his career.

Congrats to both McGonigle and the Tigers, as nobody could have predicted his debut to the majors would have started quite like it did. But the work is far from over, and McGonigle is just getting started.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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