Tigers playing it cool with Kevin McGonigle, but fans know what the right decision is

One of the biggest questions entering spring training for the Detroit Tigers was whether top prospect Kevin McGonigle would make the team. Detroit is playing its cards close to the vest, but fans know he should start the season with the team.

Manager AJ Hinch has said the decision will be made final the day before Opening Day. The 21-year-old McGonigle has turned a lot of heads in spring training, but he did go cold at the plate coming down the stretch in the Grapefruit League.

The Tigers gave McGonigle a lot of playing time this spring. He had 52 plate appearances and in that time he recorded 10 hits including two doubles and two home runs while stealing two bases. He struck out eight times while walking 11 times which is a positive sign in terms of his plate discipline.

Yet, he did not dominate by any stretch. If he had hit .400 and hit a bunch of home runs then it would probably be a pretty easy decision for the Tigers; but the fact that he was good, not great, is what has complicated matters.

Tigers should carry Kevin McGonigle on Opening Day roster

Detroit does have a hole at shortstop, and McGonigle could fill that void even though he has never had an at-bat above Double-A in his young career. One could even argue that older prospects fared better than he did in spring training although they do not have the same ceiling as McGonigle.

The Tigers did not include McGonigle on their Spring Breakout roster, either. If they felt he needed to develop a bit more in the minors then he surely would have been with that squad, but he is in a weird sort of limbo right now where his fate is uncertain.

Detroit should roll the dice, though. They are counting on him to debut at some point this season so why not throw him into the deep end and trust him at shortstop? He is going to make mistakes and there is going to be a learning curve so the Tigers have to be very careful with how they do this.

If they let him start the year with the big league team, they have to give him a fair amount of leash. Sending him to Triple-A after a rough couple of weeks could be really detrimental to his confidence and development.

If the Tigers do call McGonigle up and put him on the Opening Day roster, they have to give him time to come into his own — and they also have to assure him that the team believes in him.

Maybe he will rise to the occasion and show that he belongs at the big league level, rewarding the trust that the Tigers would be putting in him by including him on the Opening Day roster. They won't know unless they try.