Tigers' Kevin McGonigle Rookie of the Year Campaign Ends on High Note

Kevin McGonigle hit the ground running when he entered the majors, and never slowed up capping off his year with a multi-hit game as well as a homer.

Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) steps up to bat in the first inning against the Rockies. Credit: Josh Boland-USA TODAY Network via Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From the jump, there has been one rookie truly dominating the American League, infielder Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers. He stepped into the majors at only 21 years old, but never looked back.

It is almost unheard of for a player to perform as well as McGonigle has from the first day he suited up with Detroit, especially with limited time in the minor leagues. But he was different, and the Tigers knew it from the get-go, which is why they signed him two weeks into April for eight years and $150 million.

Critics stated that the sample size was too small, and the front office should have waited longer before making such a long-term commitment to the young gun, but hindsight is 20-20, and Detroit made the right move.

The now 22-year-old leads their offense in runs scored, hits, triples, drawn walks, stolen bases, and on-base percentage, and trails only Riley Greene in OPS, so it isn't surprising that he is in contention for AL Rookie of the Year.

McGonigle’s Rankings Amongst Qualified AL Rookies

Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) singles in the second inning against the Guardians. Credit: David Richard-Imagn I | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a big year for the rookies over in the American League, as Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays hit 33 bombs to complement 90+ RBI, while Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox) hit 35 of his own with 77 RBI. But there was no player as well-rounded as McGonigle.

• 97 Runs Scored- 1st (+15 over 2nd)
• 95 Drawn Walks- 1st
• 168 Hits- 1st (+26 over 2nd)
• 28 Doubles- 4th
• 5 Triples- 1st
• 18 Home Runs- 4th/5th
• 72 RBI- 4th
• .278 Batting Average- 3rd
• .376 On-Base Percentage- 1st
• .430 Slugging Percentage- 7th
• .806 OPS- 4th

What is also impressive about some of the numbers that McGonigle put up this year is that he is not just an elite all-around weapon amongst rookies, but his name is right up there with some of the best in the AL, rookie or not.

McGonigle is 1-of-7 players in the AL who has at least 160 hits, sits 5th overall, while also sitting second in triples, and 5th in drawn walks as 1-of-6 to draw at least 90 on the year.

It seems highly likely that McGonigle won't be the unanimous selection. But to see anybody else take the honor would be a disservice to what he did from March 26 all the way through September 27, when he closed out his year with a multi-hit game as well as a homer.

The race is fairly close, but he should win a competitive contest.