Tigers Prospect Update: Kevin McGonigle injury, Jaden Hamm ascension, Thayron Liranzo

In late July, the Tigers promoted two of their top five prospects, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle, to the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps. Clark, as MLB's No. 9 overall prospect and third overall draft pick in 2023, was the headliner, but McGonigle (ranked No. 4 with the Tigers, No. 61 in MLB) and his torrid tear through Single-A shouldn't be overlooked.

He hit .327 with a ridiculous .407 OBP in 60 games in Lakeland this year, remaining consistently excellent after 12 games in Single-A last year, when he batted .350 with a .913 OPS. Upon his promotion to High-A, he has stumbled out the gate a bit and is currently hitting .214 with a still excellent OBP (.368) but lower power (.357 slugging).

Any hope he might have of getting a bit more well-adjusted and going back to mashing will have to stay on hold for a bit now, too. On Monday, the Whitecaps announced he was going onto the IL with hamate (hand) fracture sustained during Saturday's game, when he was seeing shaking his hand out after a strikeout.

Unfortunately, this probably means that McGonigle's season is over (subscription required). The timeline to return from an injury like this is about six weeks, which would mean he wouldn't be available until after the minor league season ends on Sept. 8.

Tigers Prospects Update: Kevin McGonigle likely out for the season, pitcher Jaden Hamm surging, Thayron Liranzo mashing since trade

A little further down the Tigers pipeline at No. 18, High-A starting pitcher Jaden Hamm's ranking is expected to change when MLB Pipeline releases new lists next week. They named Hamm as the Tigers' fastest-rising prospect, given his 31.6% K rate, which leads qualified High-A pitchers. He has a 2.75 ERA over 88 1/3 innings (20 starts in 21 appearances), with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and an effective curveball.

He was shaken up a little in his last start, pitching four innings and giving up four runs on four hits, and he's also gotten through six innings only once this season. He does have a bit of a walk problem, but per MLB Pipeline has "the building blocks [...] for a potential Major League starter."

The Whitecaps roster is looking pretty stacked, as one of the organizations' newest members is also making waves in High-A. Thayron Liranzo, acquired from the Dodgers in the trade for Jack Flaherty, immediately moved to No. 5 in the Tigers' pipeline after the trade and is hitting .267 with a .872 OPS in his first nine games. Last week, he went 4-for-4 and collected eight total bases on a home run, double, and two singles.

Although the Flaherty trade garnered the Tigers some blowback because of how little Detroit seemed to get in return for one of the best pitchers in the American League this year, Liranzo is doing the front office a huge favor by excelling from the moment he landed in Michigan.