Perhaps it’s fitting that as Kevin McGonigle talked Monday night about the honor of being voted the American League Rookie of the Year, he was already well along the way of getting ready for his sophomore season.
Crashing through the rookie wall and the fatigue that usually comes with playing the longest season in baseball for the first time? That’s yesterday’s news. McGonigle is looking ahead to what’s next.
“I took two weeks off, got back in the weight room,” McGonigle said. “I actually haven't touched the bat yet, but next week, on Monday, I'm gonna pick up a bat and get back in the cage.”
As much as a historic rookie season is an honor, the Tigers’ failed effort to return to the postseason motivates McGonigle, who hates losing as much as any grizzled veteran. So does the quest to improve his own game.
For all the kudos that come with an AL-best 7.1 bWAR season, a bevy of awards and an All-Star selection at age 21, McGonigle isn’t satisfied. He wants to get better, and he pushes himself to get better and do more.
Where can McGonigle build off of a season like this one to get even better?
“The biggest thing that I'm gonna work on this year is, obviously, everything,” McGonigle said. “I tell myself that every season: Try to get better at everything. But the main focus is gonna be arm strength, and obviously, defense as well.”
The last part of that comment addresses one of the few questions about his all-around game that arose during his incredible season. McGonigle’s 1.9 defensive bWAR ranked sixth among AL players, and he made a number of highlight plays at shortstop and third base. But advanced metrics graded him on a wide range, from above average in Defensive Runs Saved (+2 at shortstop, +8 at third base) to below average in Outs Above Average (-1 at shortstop, -2 at third base).
McGonigle’s arm strength averaged 81.3 mph, putting him in the 28th percentile, according to Statcast. Among MLB players who made at least 50 throws at shortstop this past season, his average velocity of 80.8 mph from that position ranked 58th, behind teammates Javier Báez (15th at 87.3 mph), Zack Short (22nd at 85.5 mph), Gold Glove finalist Zach McKinstry (32nd at 84.6) and John Peck (36th at 83.6).
McGonigle’s arm rated slightly better at third base, where his average velocity of 81.9 mph ranked ninth. At both positions, however, he rated better on plays in which he was moving to his right toward third base than moving to his left toward the middle.
That leads to another factor in what’s next for McGonigle: Is there one full-time defensive position in his future?
The Tigers prepared McGonigle to crack their Opening Day roster by having him work out at shortstop and third base last offseason, including a stint at the hot corner in the Arizona Fall League. They’ve left the positional question open this winter.
“We have guys that can play a number of positions on purpose,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris told reporters at MLB’s General Managers Meetings on Tuesday in Las Vegas. “I don't think Kevin gets nearly enough credit for how seamlessly he moved to third this year and hopped between short and third. And if you look deeper in our system, we've got a lot of shortstops coming. That's on purpose, because we want to settle that position, but also all of the other premium positions around the diamond.
"And if you're moving a shortstop to every other position, you're going to end up with a stronger overall defensive unit as a result of that. There are a number of ways that we can construct our infield, but we're not going to do that until we actually know what the team looks like.”
Unless Peck (Detroit's No. 19 prospect) pushes for a regular role, the Tigers appear unlikely to move McGonigle to third full time in favor of an internal promotion at shortstop next season. The free-agent shortstop market is fairly thin, though Detroit has been linked to glove-first shortstop Ha-Seong Kim in the past. The trade market could yield some intriguing options, but the Tigers have largely held onto prospect depth rather than deal it for short-term help under Harris.
Second base is also open with Gleyber Torres now a free agent, but Detroit has several internal candidates, including Hao-Yu Lee and Max Anderson (No. 10 prospect).
So it could well be that what’s next for McGonigle is more of the same, at least in the field. If he can further polish his defensive game, even subtly, it could go a long way toward ascending from Rookie of the Year to potential 2027 AL MVP candidate.