McGonigle (No. 2), Clark (No. 10) lead Tigers on Top 100 prospects list
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The latest edition of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect rankings has a strong pattern of Tigers stripes. Detroit will head to Spring Training in a few weeks as baseball’s only organization with two Top 10 prospects and four prospects in the Top 40, according to the rankings revealed Friday.
All four Tigers prospects were in last year’s Top 100 rankings. It’s the latest sign of more talent on the way for a club that has come within a game of an ALCS berth in each of the past two seasons.
As expected, shortstop Kevin McGonigle leads the Detroit pack, holding onto his No. 2 ranking from the end of last season, just behind Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin. McGonigle, a supplemental first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school, has been a Top 100 prospect since midway through the 2024 season, his first full year as a pro. He vaulted the rankings last season on the strength of a dominant rise through the Tigers' system despite an Opening Day right ankle injury. The sweet-swinging left-handed hitter slashed .305/.408/.583 across three levels, culminating at Double-A Erie, then dominated the Arizona Fall League with a .362 average and 1.210 OPS to win league MVP honors.
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McGonigle’s good friend and fellow 2023 draftee, outfielder Max Clark, ranks 10th in the latest Top 100, the highest-ranked outfielder on the list. The third overall pick in the 2023 Draft slashed .271/.403/.432 across 111 games between Erie and High-A West Michigan, finishing with 14 home runs, 67 RBIs and 19 stolen bases while showing off the multi-tooled athleticism that drew Detroit to the Indiana prep star.
McGonigle and Clark will likely get a chance to put their tools on display for the Tigers in Spring Training as non-roster invitees to their first Major League camp. McGonigle should have a chance to make his case for a spot in Detroit’s Opening Day infield. The Tigers haven’t had a homegrown shortstop start on Opening Day since Omar Infante in 2003.
“I expect the players that posted dominant years in Double-A to factor into our big league team next year,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said at the end of last season. “They’ve earned it. They posted incredible years as 20-year-olds, very young for the level. I expect their progress to continue, and I expect them to be in Detroit at some point [in 2026].”
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Shortstop Bryce Rainer, despite missing most of last season due to injury, enters this year as baseball’s No. 35 prospect. The 11th overall selection from the 2024 Draft entered last season ranked No. 53 and made an immediate impression in his pro debut in the Tigers’ Spring Breakout win over the Braves, then hit .288/.383/.448 in 35 games for Single-A Lakeland before dislocating his right shoulder in June on a dive back into first while on the basepaths. The 20-year-old is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Slugging catcher/first baseman Josue Briceño, who cracked the Top 100 last year after earning Arizona Fall League MVP honors in 2024, made a big jump to No. 40 in the latest rankings coming off a 20-homer season between West Michigan and Erie. The left-handed hitter, whose all-fields power made him a regular highlight during the summer, slashed .266/.383/.500 across both levels. The Venezuelan is the fifth-highest catcher in the rankings.