Tigers' spring breakout news might've just telegraphed Kevin McGonigle's fate

MLB is currently hosting the third iteration of Spring Breakout, a four-day event meant to put the spotlight on the best and brightest minor league talent around. Of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects, 54 will be participating but for the Tigers, there's one notable exclusion. Instead of taking part, Kevin McGonigle has his sights set on the big prize.

According to an article by Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, McGonigle remains in strong consideration for the Tigers' Opening Day roster. Rather than play in Spring Breakout which is meant for prospects that are a little further from debuting, he's being handled more like a tenured big leaguer.

His numbers in spring training thus far warrant this level of treatment. He leads the team in plate appearances (47) and walks (11) while managing an impressive OPS of .990 thus far. His Statcast metrics are even more eye-popping with nearly every percentile landing him in elite territory. His 35.4% swing rate may indicate an excess of passivity but his walk rate of 25.0% suggests that the patience is actually paying off.

Even with such a disciplined approach at the plate, his quality of contact is top-notch. His average exit velocity this spring is 93.6 mph, in the same ballpark as last year's averages for Pete Alonso and Rafael Devers. In addition to finding optimal launch angles, he pulls balls in the air at an elite 26.7% rate, giving him more pop than one might assume out of a 5'9", 187 pound frame.

Kevin McGonigle will forego this year's Spring Breakout to focus on squeezing his way onto the Opening Day roster

McGonigle has pretty much done as much as he can to prove that he's worth adding to the roster. In addition to his convincing numbers, the Tigers' lack of shortstop depth should also play in his favor.

Javier Báez, while better for the team than he once was, doesn't seem like nearly as exciting of an option. Trey Sweeney had a tough time being competitive at the major league level last year and has yet to take a single spring training at-bat thanks to injury. In fact, he may be the most likely to give up his roster spot for McGonigle.

It has yet to be confirmed by the team but based on recent comments by A.J. Hinch, Detroit is preparing to start the season with their top prospect on the roster. One may find it somewhat disappointing to hear that he won't be facing any of his fellow minor league superstars but if that's because he's getting ready to take on the highest level of baseball competition, then it's tough to ask for a better reason.