If by the end of September Kevin McGonigle, Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers haven't earned a third consecutive playoff berth, no one can say it's because the team didn’t at least try — and, believe it or not, that effort is worth noting.
The Tigers confirmed on Tuesday that McGonigle, a 2023 first–round pick and the consensus No. 2 prospect in baseball, will make their Opening Day roster. In fact, he will likely start at shortstop on Thursday against the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta, a righty. McGonigle entered Tuesday’s spring finale hitting .250 with two home runs, six RBI and an impressive .888 OPS in 56 plate appearances, showing off the sort of advanced plate approach and pull-side pop that's made him such an enticing talent.
His new manager, A.J. Hinch, praised McGonigle for staying composed throughout the spring, even as pressure mounted.
“We’re trying to win as many games as we can,” Hinch told reporters. “We’re trying to win the World Series, and Kevin McGonigle helps us get there.”
If you were a contender hoping that Skubal would somehow be available come July 1, tough luck. The Tigers just confirmed that they’re going all-in, and it’s terrific.
Taking a chance on Kevin McGonigle proves the Tigers truly want to win with Tarik Skubal
There once was a time when teams kept their top prospects in the Minors for a few weeks just to game an extra year of service time, with the Chicago Cubs’ 2015 case with Kris Bryant being perhaps the most egregious. Clearly, the Tigers had no intention of doing the same with McGonigle, not after he drew 11 walks against only nine strikeouts and held his own throughout Grapefruit League play.
If the Tigers wanted to reaffirm their commitment to winning to Skubal, then they may have just succeeded in a massive way. Hinch said it best: The Tigers are trying to win the World Series, full stop. Look, I know that sounds obvious, especially considering that Skubal is only months away from free agency. But, again, think about how many times we’ve seen teams intentionally delay a prospect’s MLB debut just to get that extra year of control.
The Tigers are fully open to taking the risk on McGonigle. Don’t listen to anyone who dismisses the idea that one game out of 162 doesn’t matter. They all matter. One loss is the difference between a division title and a Wild Card berth, or even missing the postseason outright — as it was for Detroit just last season, when the team held on to the AL's final playoff spot by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Houston Astros.
If McGonigle struggles and is demoted to Triple–A in May, then so be it. Keep in mind that the 21-year-old hasn’t played above Double-A, and he’ll begin his career with road series against the Padres and Diamondbacks. That’s perhaps the most notable part of the Tigers’ decision to give McGonigle this opportunity, and Hinch said as much: Detroit wants its brightest young talent to continue his development in the Majors.
“We didn’t really want to put expectations on anyone because we could have gone either way,” Hinch said, “but just the fact that we were open at the beginning of camp cranked the door open. He took a major step forward to open it even more and ultimately get on this team.”
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