Tigers Prospect Kevin McGonigle Shares Mentor Shaping His Game
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The Detroit Tigers and their fans are very excited about the upside that their top prospect in the organization, Kevin McGonigle, has. McGonigle has climbed the ranks within the system and on the MLB top prospect pipelines, as he enters 2026 as the second-best prospect in all of the MLB.
While it's uncertain whether or not he will make his debut to begin the 2026 campaign with the Tigers, McGonigle will likely don the uniform before the season is over. The transition from the minor leagues to the show can be difficult for some players, so it's been important that McGonigle has gotten some guidance.
Current Detroit Tiger Giving McGonigle Advice
Detroit is led by internally grown stars at the big league level, such as Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, and most prominently, Tarik Skubal.
Lucky for McGonigle, he revealed that young second baseman Colt Keith has been the primary Tiger giving him pointers in his journey to the MLB.
"I'd say Colt Keith," McGonigle told Valor Sports Card via Instagram. "Say the last two years he's been really tight with me, giving me pointers and stuff like that throughout his career so far. He's been helping me out so far throughout the last few years. Colt Keith is a great guy."
Similar to McGonigle, Keith shot up the ranks of Detroit's farm system and eventually put pen to paper on a six-year contract extension worth $28,642,500 that runs through the 2029 season before he ever hit the field.
Keith has grown at the big league level as well, showcasing his versatility in the infield as well as staying consistent with the bat in his hands. Keith had fairly similar seasons from his rookie year in 2024 to last season, smashing 13 home runs both years and seeing his WAR increase by 0.4.
This has to be an encouraging sign for the Tigers organization that one of their best up-and-comers is learning from a player they invested in before making his MLB debut. One day, both players will be at the MLB level, and hopefully, that chemistry will show in the continued improvement on the field.
With spring training approaching quickly, fans should be excited about seeing both McGonigle and Keith on the field at the same time. In the future, it could be a positional issue since both play the middle infielder role, as McGonigle will likely be moved to being a second baseman long term in the MLB.
