Tigers 2023 Draft Pick Ranked Among Top Ten Prospects at Position
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MLB Pipeline has been putting out their MLB prospect rankings for each position and their latest entry wrapped up the infield as they announced the top ten at shortstop.
Coming in at No. 9 among this list of prestigious prospects and quick risers is Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers, the 37th overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft. McGonigle came in with an above slot signing value of $2.85 million, and immediately started to make an impact in his first season.
In the half of a season he had available to him in 2023 after being drafted, McGonigle started off in the Florida Complex League and was quickly promoted to single-A Lakeland. At that level he produced at an even higher level, playing in 12 games and accruing .350/.438/.913 batting splits with 7 runs, 5 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 7 walks to 5 strikeouts.
Due to the small sample size, he would start there in 2024 as well and was outstanding in a much larger period of time. He would play in a total of 60 games and had 230 at-bats, .326/.407/.877 batting splits, 37 RBI, 40 runs, 20 stolen bases, 35 walks to 24 strikeouts and 4 home runs.
This production would be worthy of moving him up to high-A, and he ultimately ended up getting the call up later in the year.
In high-A his production slowed down offensively as he got adjusted to the new level of competition, and his defensive errors had a slight uptick when it came to the shortstop position. In single-A he only had 4 errors combined between 424.2 innings at second base and shortstop, and in 99 innings of high-A shortstop he also had 4 errors, which lowered his fielding rate slightly.
When it comes to the 2024 season, you also have to factor in the injury he sustained—he dealt with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand and ended up having surgery on it in August, which ended up cutting his season short and not allowing him to really fully develop at the next level as anticipated. Entering 2025, a healthy offseason and a chance to really grow accustomed to his new team will certainly help his case.
In addition to this, he also won the MVP award in the Florida State League (where the Tigers single-A affiliate resides) for his high-level play before being promoted. He has the tools and makeup to be a strong prospect, and being ranked in a list with some of the best prospects in the game certainly is indicative of his potential to be a quality producer in the next levels of Detroit's minor league system.
Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.