Kevin

McGonigle

McGonigle finally got the Tigers on the board in the seventh inning, tagging Antwone Kelly for a 393-foot (100.6-mph EV) solo shot that made it a 4-1 ballgame. He also singled and struck out in the contest. The 22-year-old wraps up a terrific rookie campaign slashing .278/.376/.430 with 18 homers, 72 RBI, 97 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and a 95/100 K/BB ratio in 707 plate appearances. His next battle will be against Parker Messick for the Rookie of the Year award in the American League.

McGonigle enters the final weekend of the season as the favorite to take home the AL Rookie of the Year Award over Guardians starter Parker Messick, who has posted a stellar 2.55 ERA over 183 1/3 innings of work. The 22-year-old hitting machine became just the fifth rookie since 2000 to reach base safely at least 262 times, which broke a Tigers record held by Al Kaline since 1953. He’s going to finish as one of the most impactful late-round picks in recent memory, hitting .276/.376/.425 with 96 runs scored, 17 homers, 70 RBI and 12 steals across 699 plate appearances.

Another good game for McGonigle with no one driving him in. He’s scored just once in seven games, even though he has 12 hits and three walks in the span. It looks like he was going to reach the century mark in runs scored as a rookie, but he’s stuck on 95 now with just three games to go.

It’s likely just a rest day for he and Max Clark versus a lefty. Both had started 14 straight games since last sitting on Sept. 5. The Tigers have Hao-Yu Lee at third and Javier Báez in center tonight.

The 22-year-old phenom smacked an RBI single in the third inning that trimmed the Tigers’ deficit to four runs at 6-2. He then added a bases-clearing triple in the fifth that made it an 8-5 ballgame. He also drew a walk in the game. With the two-hit attack, McGonigle is now slashing .277/.378/.428 with 17 homers, 69 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a 91/92 K/BB ratio in his 672 plate appearances.

Despite being on base three different times, the Tigers were unable to cash him in at all and mustered just one total run in the contest. The 22-year-old infielder continues to look like the favorite to take home the Rookie of the Year award in the American League, slashing .275/.377/.425 with 17 homers, 65 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 668 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old phenom did his damage off of Gabriel Hughes in the second inning, increasing the Tigers’ early lead to 5-0. He also walked in the fourth inning and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Riley Greene. He’s having an exceptional rookie season, slashing .272/.373/.425 with 17 homers, 65 RBI, 12 stolen bases and an 89/88 K/BB ratio over 649 plate appearances.

McGonigle put Detroit on the scoreboard with an impressive 389-foot blast into the right-field seats off Rockies starter Tanner Gordon in the third inning. It was his third round-tripper in his last five games and his 17th big fly of the year. The 22-year-old hitting machine is the clear favorite to take home the American League Rookie of the Year Award and he’s making some real noise down the home stretch to bolster his candidacy. He’s on pace to finish as a top-five fantasy contributor at both third base and shortstop and will be an early-round selection in drafts next spring.

McGonigle’s home run was his 16th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Dean Kremer in the fifth inning. McGonigle hit eight home runs in 93 games in the first half of the season, but has found his power stroke in the second half with eight home runs in 47 games. He’s hitting .273 with a .792 OPS and 62 RBI. McGonigle remains in pole position as the favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

McGonigle connected for his first round-tripper since August 23, launching a no-doubter to right field off Twins ace Joe Ryan in the opening frame. The 22-year-old remains the heavy favorite to take home the American League Rookie of the Year Award with less than three weeks remaining on the calendar.