Cincinnati — Kevin McGonigle got three hits Saturday night, including a homer and a double, all of which was acknowledged by his father in their daily postgame text exchange.
But Kevin George McGonigle also pointed out the lazy flyout in the fourth on a middle-middle sinker.
“Can’t miss that,” the senior McGonigle texted.
Guess we don’t have to worry about young Kevin McGonigle staying grounded through this remarkably impressive start to his big-league career.
“Oh yeah,” McGonigle said. “He texts me after every game and points out one thing I did wrong. It helps me get better every day.”
What the 21-year-old McGonigle is doing through the first 27 games is unusually impressive.
He went into the game Sunday with a position-player WAR of 2.0, the highest in baseball. He was riding the longest active on-base streak in baseball (23 games) and was encroaching on Mr. Tiger territory in that regard.
Al Kaline was the last Tigers’ 21-year-old to reach in at least 24 straight games. Kaline’s streak ran 34 games in 1956.
Here’s where McGonigle ranks among MLB leaders:
Position-player WAR (2.0): First
Offensive WAR (1.7): Second
Doubles (11): Fourth
Average (.333): Sixth
Hits (34): Sixth
On-base (.424): Seventh
OPS (.963): Ninth
Runs (21): Ninth
Pretty heady stuff. Not that anyone is worried about any of it going to his head.
“If all this stuff hasn’t gotten to him yet, I mean, he’s probably in a good place to handle whatever is next,” manager AJ Hinch said. “For him, getting out in front of all the newness has been important. We’re about to go play in another brand-new ballpark for him (Truist Park in Atlanta) against another group of pitchers he hasn’t faced.”
The grounding process starts with a consistent daily routine and the Tigers have built one for him. He’s usually the first one on the field to do early infield drills with coach Joey Cora and he’s faithful to his process in the weight room and batting cages.
“His day-to-day is as dialed in as anybody’s,” Hinch said. “And the players will keep him humble. He won’t stray too far from being grounded. The game will humble you, as well.”
The other part of equation that projects consistency for McGonigle is his advanced understanding of the strike zone. Before Sunday, he had as many walks as strikeouts (15) and his strikeout rate (12.3%) ranked in the top 98 percentile in baseball. His chase rate (21.4%) ranked in the top 87 percentile.
Hinch pointed out Reds red-hot rookie Sal Stewart (who is hitting .303 with nine homers and 29 RBIs) and McGonigle have that trait in common.
“I don’t know if it’s because they were raised in the ABS (automated ball-strike) era in the minor leagues or if they’re that naturally gifted, or if it’s about how much work they’ve put into it,” Hinch said. “The reason young players survive and exceed performance thresholds when they get to the big leagues is they know the strike zone.
“Those that don’t will have a hot game or two or a hot series. It is generally hard to have a hot month if you don’t know the strike zone.”
McGonigle wasn’t in a mood to discuss his personal achievements in the wake of a couple of tough losses here at Great American Ball Park.
“Losing is never fun,” he said. “Yeah, I had a good game last night and I did everything I could to help us win. And we didn’t. That’s not fun. But the best thing about this is, everybody in here is ready to go out today and do whatever it takes to get this one.”
That laser focus on winning today also bodes well for the sustainability of his success.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle stays grounded while obliterating performance expectations
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
