Kevin McGonigle wrapped up an all-time great rookie season for the Detroit Tigers, and let’s be real, that AL Rookie of the Year award is practically already in his locker. The real head-scratcher, though, is figuring out where this fresh-faced star should actually play on the field. It’s the biggest question facing the Tigers this offseason after such a stellar debut.
The Infield Shuffle: From Prospect Doubt to Major League Talent
Look, the dude’s minor league career was almost entirely at shortstop. We saw him get a little bit of time at second base in his first season back in 2024, but mostly it was full-time shortstop duty. Then, the 2025 Arizona Fall League happened, and he started snagging reps at third base. His major league rookie year? He was mashing at an extremely high level, all while juggling both shortstop and third base. That’s a grind!
As a prospect, I always thought he was a solid but slightly below average shortstop. My main hang-up was his arm strength. His hands are sound, and he’s good around the bag, but his quickness couldn’t quite make up for that limited wingspan and arm strength, which cut into his effective range. Honestly, second base seemed like the better fit for him down the road. But you know what? McGonigle put in the work last offseason, and he managed to improve at shortstop while also playing a pretty solid third base. That’s all the more reason to be impressed with him. He’s still super young, and he keeps improving all parts of his game, which is exactly what you want to see.
The Numbers Game: What Do The Defensive Stats Say?
This season, McGonigle split his time pretty evenly, logging 644 innings at third base and 675.2 innings as a shortstop. So, what did the stats say? Well, Sports Info Solutions liked his defense just fine, crediting him with a sweet +8 defensive runs saved (DRS) at third base, and a +2 DRS as a shortstop. That’s pretty good work!
But then Statcast’s player and ball tracking saw things a little differently. By outs above average (OAA), McGonigle scored a -2 OAA at third base and a -1 OAA as a shortstop. Overall, Statcast gave him a -1 fielding runs value (FRV) as a third baseman and a neutral 0 FRV at the shortstop position. It just goes to show you, despite all the fancy technology, there’s always some subjectivity when you’re evaluating defense. The numbers give you a general range, and if you mash ’em all together to get a rough average, here’s the kicker: Kevin McGonigle is already an average defender at both positions. And with his bat doing what it does? That’s plenty good enough! His ability to handle the switch between positions is also huge for the Tigers’ roster construction and flexibility.
Honestly, for the most part, the Tigers should just play McGonigle at shortstop. It opens up so many possibilities to mix in all their other infield bats at second and third base. Based on his trajectory, that steady improvement, and his youth, there’s a good chance he’s just going to keep getting better at shortstop until he physically starts losing a step, hopefully sometime in his late 20’s if we’re fortunate enough to see it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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