Detroit Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle returns from injury, explains goals for 2024

TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Tigers infield prospect Kevin McGonigle slotted into the leadoff spot for Low-A Lakeland in his return from the injured list.

McGonigle, the No. 37 overall pick in the 2023 draft, made his season debut with the Flying Tigers on Tuesday against the Tampa Tarpons, an affiliate of the New York Yankees, at George M. Steinbrenner Field following his recovery from a left hamstring strain.

It was the first notable injury of the 19-year-old's career.

"First time I missed that much baseball," McGonigle said. "I'm very, very happy to be back."

McGonigle, a left-handed hitter, lined out in the first inning, but in the third inning, he bounced a down-and-away slider from right-hander Gabriel Barbosa through the left side of the infield for an RBI single.

The single put the Flying Tigers ahead, 1-0.

"It felt great to help the team get that win," McGonigle said. "I'm looking forward to helping as much as I can during the rest of the season."

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Flying Tigers center fielder Max Clark, a fellow 19-year-old prospect and the No. 3 overall draft pick last summer, is pumped to have McGonigle on the field again.

"Seeing him healthy makes my day," Clark said. "I love seeing him succeed. I love seeing him play hard. He's also just really fun to play with because he plays his ass off. When he gets going, it's special."

Clark and McGonigle were the top two selections by the Tigers in the 2023 draft — just 34 picks apart — after playing together (and winning a gold medal) for Team USA in the under-18 World Cup in 2022. Clark is the No. 1 prospect in the farm system, according to MLB Pipeline, while McGonigle ranks No. 6.

With the Flying Tigers, McGonigle hits leadoff and Clark hits in the two-hole.

"That's a nice little one-two combo," Clark said.

McGonigle, who plays shortstop and second base, is at the earliest stage of his professional development, but the Tigers have high expectations wrapped up in the first-round investment of a $2.85 million signing bonus.

He wants to improve all aspects of his game in 2024.

"During rehab, I got a lot faster," McGonigle said, "and that's one of the things I wanted to work on. Just becoming a better all-around baseball player. There's always room for improvement. Hitting, base-running, fielding, I want to improve on everything. I'm going to take that all in this year and keep getting better at my craft."

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Mark Conner, the Tigers' scouting director, labeled McGonigle as "one of the best pure high school hitters in the class" after the franchise selected him out of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Conner, a well-respected scout with nearly 15 years of experience, then compared McGonigle to the entire draft class — both high school and college players — when he described his bat-to-ball skills as "up there with probably anybody in the class."

McGonigle appreciated the evaluation.

"I thought it was very cool, people out there talking about hitting," said McGonigle, who hit .530 as a senior and earned Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year. "But I didn't want to read into it too much. I just wanted to focus on the game I had that day, or that season. I didn't put too much thought into it. I went out and played the game I've always played since I was a child, just saying focused."

After last year's draft, McGonigle played 21 games with the FCL Tigers in the Florida Complex League and the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League. He hit .315 with one home run, 18 walks and 10 strikeouts. He played 12 of those 21 games for the Flying Tigers, hitting .350 with seven walks and five strikeouts.

McGonigle still had to make an important adjustment from high school to professional baseball, but the 21-game taste of the lowest levels in the minor leagues was a massive success.

"Just the speed of the game," McGonigle said. "It definitely sped up a little bit. ... I went out and did the same thing I've always done during high school, stay aggressive, compete and help your team win. I stuck to that, and it helped me out a lot last year. I want the same thing this year."

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His first injury occurred in his first spring training.

McGonigle was playing in a March scrimmage on the backfields in Lakeland. He raced for third base on a ground ball up the middle and suffered a hamstring strain in the process. He tried to play through the discomfort, but when he wasn't able to run home, he had to be shut down from baseball activities.

"It was definitely a grind in the rehab group," McGonigle said. "It sucks what I had to go through, but I think I got better during that time. I want to thank everyone over there that was helping me with all my work to get stronger with the hamstring, but I'm very happy to be back. I feel like it's been a while."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle picks up speed in injury rehab