Minor League Baseball

Detroit Tigers Superstar Prospect Shoots in to Top 10 of New Rankings, Pulls Ahead of Max Clark

Kevin McGonigle has moved from No. 21 to No. 7, per MLB Pipeline, vaulting himself past the former first-round pick.
Brady Farkas|
West Squad's Kevin McGonigle throws the ball in to first base during the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022.
West Squad's Kevin McGonigle throws the ball in to first base during the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers' electric prospect Kevin McGonigle has vaulted himself into the Top 10 of the latest MLB Pipeline prospect rankings, which were released on Tuesday.

One of the biggest risers, he moved up from No. 21 to No. 7. He pairs alongside an incredible group of Detroit youngsters, including Max Clark, Josue Briceno and Thayron Liranzo, who are all in the Top 100. He's pulled ahead of Clark, who is down to No. 12.

McGonigle, 20, is currently playing with Clark at High-A West Michigan. He's projected to make his major league debut in 2027. The former No. 37 pick in the draft (2023), he's hitting .365 with seven homers this season. He also has a .448 on-base percentage.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

McGonigle can burst out of the box nicely with above-average speed, and he gives pitchers and catchers something to monitor when on base. Most of his reps came at shortstop in 2024, but many evaluators still believe he’s a better overall fit at second base over the long term. McGonigle’s hit tool placed him on the map in a big way, making him a core piece of a burgeoning Detroit system.

At the major-league level, the Tigers currently lead the American League Central, and they own the best record in the American League. On the heels of getting to the American League Division Series in 2024, they look like a true World Series contender this season.

They haven't won the title since the 1984 campaign.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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