Don’t be surprised if Tigers make bold move with this top prospect in 2026

If there's a name Detroit Tigers fans need to know heading into 2026, it's that of top prospect Kevin McGonigle. The newly-minted 21-year-old might be the best hitter in the minor leagues and currently ranks as the No. 2 overall prospect in all of baseball.

McGonigle rose quickly through the ranks last season, spending six games at Single-A Lakeland before quickly being promoted to High-A West Michigan, where he'd spent 36 games, before finally landing at Double-A Erie for his final 46 contests.

At every level he raked, posting a combined line of .305/.408/.583 while walking more than he struck out. An ankle injury in April limited the phenom to just 88 games, but he's making up for lost time now, getting a chance for some additional seasoning in the Arizona Fall League.

Don't be surprised to see Kevin McGonigle on the Tigers' big league roster early in 2026

Scott Harris made it clear that the Tigers are expecting their top young guns to be contributors in 2026. Front and center in that regard is McGonigle, who was mentioned by Harris multiple times during his press conference.

"Kevin is in the Fall League right now. He's playing short, third, he's played second, short, and now he's going to have experience at third base. I'm not going to announce he's going to be in major league camp because I should probably tell him before I announce it. But I think a lot of these guys are going to be in major league camp. You're going to see them first hand and more importantly, they're going to get a lot of experience being around the big league coaches and the big league players..." Harris said.

So, yeah, McGonigle will be in big league camp. The biggest question is which position he will be playing.

The bulk of his professional experience has come at shortstop, though defensively, the position has been a challenge for him, with 15 errors committed over 68 games between West Michigan and Erie. Given the experience at other positions, a move to second as the heir apparent to Gleyber Torres could make sense. A move to the hot corner could work, too.

As it stands now, Detroit's infield picture is hazy beyond Spencer Torkelson at first. Trey Sweeney's 2025 proved he isn't the answer at short, while the collection of third basemen Detroit used after missing out on Alex Bregman put up some of the worst offensive production in the league.

McGonigle's versatility will allow the Tigers to maneuver the offseason with some flexibility. They don't need to target one position over another because they know they can slide him around to make the pieces fit. As a result, it seems like a foregone conclusion that McGonigle is on the big league roster in 2026.

The question is when? He's yet to take an at-bat at Triple-A, but that doesn't preclude him from having a shot to break camp with the big league club if he has a strong spring training. Though if the plan is to slot him in at the hot corner, some time in Toledo might do him well since he's getting his first taste of action at the position now in Arizona.

So, he could arrive at some point in April. Maybe early May, though that seems doubtful. The Prospect Promotion Incentive created during the last CBA negotiations might give us some guidance.

The incentive rewards teams with the chance at an extra draft pick if a player his promoted within two weeks of Opening Day and either wins the Rookie of the Year award or factors into the top-three of the MVP or Cy Young races. McGonigle would surely seem to be a Rookie of the Year front-runner, but in the event that he doesn't factor into the award, he can still net the Tigers draft compensation if he achieves a top-three MVP finish at some point during his pre-arb years and is promoted by the deadline in 2026.

Knowing how much Harris loves building up his minor league system, it's hard to imagine him passing at the chance to nab an extra pick, especially when the player in question seems more than ready for the show. With that in mind, it would seem any Triple-A stint would be a short one, and McGonigle will be up with the big club before Tax Day.