Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle, the highest-ranking prospect to play in the Arizona Fall League in recent years, to make his mark on the elite prospect circuit. So it wasn't surprising when he kept on raking as his time in Arizona built up. Now it's little surprise he's now been named the AFL's top offensive performer for the second time in three weeks.
McGonigle rode another hot stretch at the dish for Scottsdale while Glendale right-hander Chen-Wei Lin impressed on the mound as the pair earned Hitter and Pitcher of the Week honors respectively for Week 5 of the Arizona Fall League. McGonigle also took home the award for Week 3.
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McGonigle (DET No. 1) hit .462 with three home runs this week for the Scorpions, powering that production with a four-hit, two-homer performance Tuesday against Mesa in Scottsdale's 21-run eruption. He homered again on Friday, also scoring four runs, collecting four RBIs and amassing 14 total bases in four games played.
After starting his campaign with eight contests without a big fly, the power is really beginning to emerge for McGonigle over the past week or so. He's homered five times in his past nine games, moving into a tie for second place among Fall League hitters in the category. All told, the game's No. 2 overall prospect is slashing .385/.494/.754 through 17 games this fall. His 1.248 OPS ranks third-best on the circuit.
It's been more of a rebound this fall for Lin, the 6-foot-7 Cardinals hurler originally from Taiwan. The 23-year-old endured a rocky 2025 regular season while pitching at three levels, and allowed nine earned runs in his first four outings in the Fall League.
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But this week, Lin (STL No. 16) put together one of the best starts by any Fall League hurler, punching out five across three innings of one-hit ball for Glendale over Peoria on Thursday. The performance gave Lin 19 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings this fall, and he leads the circuit with three victories while surrendering only one homer in five appearances.