NEW YORK – It’s the same game, Detroit Tigers rookie superstar Kevin McGonigle keeps telling himself.
The same game as when he was playing high school ball in 2023 – a kid from a working-class neighborhood near Philadelphia who committed to play at Auburn but then got drafted by the Tigers.
The same game as when he made his MLB debut in Comerica Park at 21 years old – the youngest player to debut on Opening Day for the Tigers in 112 years.
The same game after he signed a massive contract extension – it started paying dividends immediately and he was named the American League Rookie of the Month for March/April.
The same game as when he started hitting and moved up in the order for good reason – he is just the fifth player 21 or younger in MLB history with 30 or more hits, 10 or more doubles and less than 15 strikeouts in his first 25 big league games.
It’s the same game.
And yes, he keeps doing the same things. Getting on base. Hitting the ball hard. Knowing the strike zone so well he’s taking bad pitches with uncanny confidence. Playing with unusual composure. Handling everything with poise. And making impressive, if not incredible, plays with his glove. Take that, all you scouts who said he couldn’t play defense.
Now, that he’s more than a quarter through his rookie season, it’s time to take a moment and consider everything he has accomplished.
Because this isn’t just a great start.
It’s historic in all kinds of ways.
“I just tell myself it’s the same game and not trying to change,” he said. “Staying true to my approach.”
An amazing 40-game start
Baseball never seems to stop and take a breath.
So, let’s freeze this at the 40-game mark – the quarter pole, if you will.
Because that seems like a great point to try to put all of this into perspective.
McGonigle is the first MLB player 21 or younger with at least 45 hits and 24 walks in his first 40 games since Montreal’s Delino DeShields in 1990 (49 hits, 26 walks) and the first to have more walks than strikeouts since Montreal’s Tim Raines from 1980-81 (45 hits, 29 walks, 16 strikeouts).
Yes, that Tim Raines.
The dude in the Hall of Fame.
“It’s always cool to see your name with, you know, obviously, Hall of Famers,” McGonigle said.
Let me pause right there and ask put this in “Jeopardy” terms: Statements you’d never expect out of a 21-year-old, Alex.
“I think it all comes back to, you know, the same thing, just going out and helping the team win,” McGonigle said. “If you keep that mindset, your name is going to be in more categories. The biggest thing is just keeping the same mindset, same approach to the game, and good things will happen.”
Good things seem to happen to him every day.
McGonigle is already making a strong case for American League Rookie of the Year.
At the 40-game mark, he led all rookies – in either league – with 45 hits, 12 doubles, a .300 batting average and a .403 on-base percentage.
But it’s not just outperforming his fellow rookies.
At the 40-game mark, he had 24 walks compared to only 22 strikeouts – he’s one of only six big leaguers with more walks than strikeouts (minimum 24 walks) this season.
I mean, this is something we just haven’t seen in Detroit.
OK, we have a few times.
McGonigle is one of only six Tigers to have 45 hits in their first 40 games in the last 50 years.
So, what has impressed Hinch?
“His overall maturity to handle everything that’s been thrown at him,” Hinch said. “He’s never talked to you guys (reporters), like he is. He’s never had this kind of attention off the field. There’s been so much thrown at him, and he’s ready to play every day.
“The results on the field are obviously easy to love. We as fans and as teammates, we all love the performance. But the way he goes about his business is very rewarding. I want to look out for him and protect him, and he doesn’t need a ton of that. He really just needs an opportunity to play, and he’s ready to play every game.”
Making some highlight plays
Now, let me say a word about his defense.
That was the big question coming into this season, right?
And while he has three errors, he has made several jawdropping plays. Like ranging far to his right, showing incredible range and quickness, grabbing a grounder and flinging it across the diamond with a perfect sense of timing.
“The Jeter play,” he said, smiling.
McGonigle did that against the New York Mets in Citi Field.
“It’s my second time ever doing it, and both were this year,” McGonigle said, smiling harder. “So it’s pretty cool.”
Pretty cool?
That’s the best part of this.
McGonigle seems so mature. So comfortable. So relaxed, playing like a veteran. Nothing fazes him. But then he says things that make you smile and remind you he’s just 21.
I mean, he could have been finishing his third year in college, right now, getting ready for the draft in July.
But instead, he’s doing pretty cool things.
In big-league ballparks.
More web gems
On Thursday afternoon, McGonigle made a ridiculous play against the Mets, running toward the outfield like a sprinter, chasing after a pop up without any fear, taking off and diving with his arm extended and robbing a hit from A.J. Ewing – a rolling, insanely athletic, simply amazing masterpiece.
He’s blessed with amazing closing speed, helping him get to balls that seem out of reach, not to mention an all-out, run through a wall mentality.
In addition, he owns a strong, accurate arm.
“I love that his tempo is fast at the beginning of the play, but under control at the end,” Hinch said. “We’re seeing him get to a lot of different balls.”
Oh, wait, you are into analytics?
Let me put it this way: McGonigle had a 2.2 WAR (per Baseball Reference) through the 40-game mark, the fifth-best mark in the AL and trailing only Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. (2.9 bWAR), New York’s Aaron Judge (2.8) and Cody Bellinger (2.4) and Oakland’s Shea Langeliers (2.3 bWAR).
Yes, obviously, those are some big names.
And he has already adjusted to pitchers changing their approaches against him.
Although his batting average has dipped – all the way to .293 though Thursday, and still among the top 15 in the league – his on-base percentage is still at .400, all while dealing with pitchers dealing with him.
“I was hitting the fastball early on,” he said. “They went to the offspeed. Started hitting the offspeed a little bit. Now they’re back at the fastball. So, just got to stick to my approach and sit fastball and then react.”
Indeed. It’s all so simple.
Cough, cough.
McGonigle seems to fit in perfectly with this team. His intangibles are off the charts – something teammates always treasure and respect.
And he is learning from some great teachers.
Pace and footwork from Javier Báez.
And the value of a steady, regular approach, every day, from Riley Greene.
“Forty games in, the biggest thing is just, you know, the relationships I’ve built with most of these guys, not really knowing them before spring,” he said. “Being able to build relationships and go to battle with each and every one of these guys every day is, it’s really special.”
Now, consider everything he is doing for the first time.
He’s playing nearly every day for the first time in his life.
And he has had to learn how to get his body healthy and ready to play.
“Surprisingly, it’s been better than I thought it would be,” he said. “Last year, I had a scheduled off day, the Monday off, and then I had a DH day. So, to be honest, I barely played that much during the week. So I feel like I’m used to going out every day and playing.”
No, he’s not just playing.
He’s standing out.
When you try to put what he’s doing into perspective and it starts bumping up against names of guys in the Hall of Fame, it’s a pretty amazing start.
And it’s obvious that he is going to be a foundational piece of this franchise for years to come.
All in all, not a bad 40 games.
Pretty cool, indeed.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kevin McGonigle continues to impress, not just with bat but his glove
Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
