How Tigers Prospect Kevin McGonigle Earned Arizona Fall League MVP Honor
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The Arizona Fall League gives some of baseball's most notable prospects a chance to get more reps and the opportunity to work on certain aspects of their game. One prospect who excelled more than any other in the AFL, was Detroit Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle.
McGonigle, the Tigers No. 1 prospect and No. 2 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline took home the leagues MVP honors after what's been an incredible 19 games in the desert. He's helped lead the way for a stacked Scottsdale Scorpions roster.
The 21-year-old had a tough 2025 regular season to follow up after posting nearly a 1.000 OPS across three levels. The games best American League prospect rose all the way up the ranks to Double-A Erie, before continuing his tear in the fall league.
In those 19 games, McGonigle's slashed .362/.500/.710 for a 1.210 OPS. He hit five home runs, five doubles, and two triples to collect 49 total bases. He also stole three bases while only being caught stealing a single time.
McGonigle has shown to be an on-base machine all throughout his 2025 season, and his time in the fall league was no different. On top of all the extra base hits, he walked 19 times to just 12 strikeouts. Another very encouraging attribute to his offensive profile.
It's hard to argue the overall hit tool McGonigle possesses is not the best across the entire minor leagues. Receiving a 70-grade on MLB Pipeline, there's no wonder why one of the games top prospects was able to excel out in Arizona.
When looking at team rankings, McGonigle is near the top in almost every offensive statistic. On the Scorpions roster, he ranked first in the AFL regular season in hits, home runs, runs scored, and walks.
The Tigers organization has to be thrilled about what they've seen out of their top prospect in the AFL. For a bat that's projected to reach the Major League level during the 2026 season, having a great fall to carry into the rest of the offseason is massive.
With the success of other Detroit prospects in the AFL like infielder Max Anderson, there's so much for the organization to look forward to in the near future. With additional prospects like Max Clark and Josue Briceño steadily rising with McGonigle, the future is very bright.
The Arizona Fall League MVP is just the start, hopefully, for the Tigers' top prospect. After an incredible 2025, the shortstop is setting himself up for a major breakout in 2026 at the Major League level.
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Tobey Schulman is a freelance writer currently covering baseball in the South Florida area, independently on X and SubStack. Prior to freelancing, Tobey was a writer for The Skippers View, covering both Major and Minor League Baseball. Over the past year, he has grown a following of almost 10,000 on X, while covering all things across the sport, both professional and amateur. In his free time he produces and live streams a podcast ‘Inside The Diamond’, where he co-hosts player interviews, breakdowns, and game watch parties.