The best Minor League hitting prospect of the 2020s is headed to The Show. The Tigers are placing No. 2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle on their Major League Opening Day roster, the club confirmed Tuesday. McGonigle’s expected appearance in Thursday’s season opener on the road against the Padres will mark

When the Tigers opened camp in February, top prospect Kevin McGonigle looked like a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. But it didn’t take long for MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect to change the perception. On Tuesday, the team announced what many were expecting based on McGonigle’s

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The wide-eyed look from Max Clark as he watched Pirates No. 3 prospect Seth Hernandez deliver a 102 mph fastball to begin his at-bat became the lasting image of the Tigers’ Spring Breakout game Friday night. The frustrated look from Clark as the left fielder battled the

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The moving truck parked outside the clubhouse building at Joker Marchant Stadium was the obvious first sign Saturday morning that Spring Training is near an end. For some players, those hints have been building for a while as the Grapefruit League at-bats have piled up. At some

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer introduced himself to Tigers fans a year ago with a standout performance in their Spring Breakout win over the Braves. A year and four days later, the Tigers’ No. 3 prospect announced his return in the same setting.

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers clearly like developing hitters, especially those who hit left-handed. Several of them have gotten plenty of attention, starting with No. 2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle, who is ready to break with the big league team on Opening Day. He’s far from alone at the upper

The Tigers are unbeaten through two years of MLB’s Spring Breakout series, and they’ll bring a prospect-loaded roster into this year’s event led by manager and Hall of Famer Alan Trammell as they try to back up their standing as one of baseball’s top farm systems. Fans in Detroit and

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Justin Verlander can get zoned in on his outings and his pitching when he’s on the mound, but he made a point to thank the rookie Kevin McGonigle for his diving play at third base and throw from foul territory. “Great play,” Verlander said after his 4

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Kevin McGonigle was getting ready to head to the Tigers clubhouse bathroom to wash his face Monday morning when he was stopped for a quick interview. As he was explaining his mindset heading into the final week of Spring Training and his approach to the barrage of

TAMPA, Fla. -- Officially, Jordan Yost won’t get his first professional at-bat until the Minor League regular season begins and the Tigers assign their top pick from last year’s MLB Draft to his first Minor League stop. But nobody who saw him step to the plate in Sunday’s 12-1 win

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LAKELAND, Fla. -- The word should be out by now: Don’t start off Kevin McGonigle with a cookie. Six days after the Tigers’ top prospect – and MLB’s No. 2 prospect overall – started off the Tigers’ visit to the Dominican Republic by turning on Luis Severino’s 98 mph fastball

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Max Clark’s first Major League camp is over. But the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect showed plenty with Detroit in Spring Training to reassure that it won’t be his last. With just a couple weeks left in Spring Training and the Tigers ramping up playing time for their

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Max Anderson has always been a glasses guy on the baseball field. “Always worn them,” the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect said of his signature look with specs. “I struggled to get [comfortable putting in] contacts and then wore glasses and just never went back. I wear glasses

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The ball jumped off Konnor Griffin’s bat looking like another hard-hit line drive for baseball’s top prospect. “I thought I had me a little single,” the Pirates phenom said afterward. On the other side of the drive, Kevin McGonigle -- baseball’s No. 2 prospect -- had a

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers No. 4 prospect Josue Briceño said he expects to miss “a few months” after undergoing surgery to repair the extensor carpi ulnaris subsheath in his right wrist. The injury is a blow to the development of one of the best all-around hitters in the Tigers farm

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The next wave of young Tigers talent is about to knock on Detroit's doorstep. It's not just top prospect Kevin McGonigle, who continues to make a case for Detroit's Opening Day roster as a starting stortstop. It's not just Max Clark, who could make a push to

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A.J. Hinch didn’t want a discussion on defensive metrics for Kevin McGonigle on a Sunday morning. He wanted to see plays. “Watch him play,” the Tigers manager said. “And then watch him grow.”

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers were staring at a week-long winless streak to open Grapefruit League play as MLB No. 2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning Friday afternoon. A two-run lead had vanished in the top of the

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark noted Sunday that he’d rather deal with the gusty winds of the Grapefruit League than the blinding Florida sun. On Tuesday, the sun got its revenge, giving Clark a hard time on two first-inning fly balls against the backdrop of a

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck's Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The late innings of a Spring Training game can become an intersection of small sample sizes. On one side, top prospects might be trying to make an impression with the at-bats they get in a big league camp that can be more learning experience than proving grounds.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Kevin McGonigle has done a great job blending into Tigers camp as a top prospect turned non-roster invite to Spring Training. But he couldn’t help but stand out Thursday afternoon as his home run soared down the right-field line. McGonigle got all of a Beau Brieske fastball