# Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle – now top prospect in baseball – learning how to block trade noise
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“So he’s got a very, very competitive personality,” Graham said. “He’s a joker. I give him some (teasing), he gives it right back in a respectful way, which is good. I like that, too. So he’s got a personality that fits in really well in professional baseball.”
The key to all of it for any player is the professional part. McGonigle admitted he liked seeing his name at the top of a prospect list, but he had to be sure he didn’t pay too much attention to it.
“It’s a pretty cool thing to see, but I don’t really dig too deep into that stuff,” he said. “I never have, from high school till now.
“I just try to stay away from it and, you know, I don’t want that stuff to get in my head, and I don’t like thinking too much about it. So just try to go out and play baseball the same way I’ve always played.”
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“I don’t look too deep in that stuff,” McGonigle told the Free Press Sunday, July 27, before he went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs against Somerset. “I’m sure there’s stuff out there on social media with my name involved and all that, but it’s all fake news.
“So I’m just looking forward to staying with the Tigers and helping them win a World Series one day.”
McGonigle won’t turn 21 until Aug. 18, but he has a mature presence about him that belies his age. He knows outside distractions that he can’t control, like trade rumors, won’t help him. That’s part of the maturity Graham, who managed him in 2023 and 2024 with the Class-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, has noticed during their reunion.
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McGonigle has only played 12 games in Double-A since he was promoted July 6, 2025 from High-A West Michigan, where he showed power and patience on his way to 1.110 OPS. Now he’s facing more consistent pitchers and deeper bullpens, but he’s still producing, with an .828 OPS, five doubles and a home run in 44 at-bats.
“I would just say the pitching is a little bit better,” McGonigle said, “and I feel like pitchers in High-A might miss the zone a little bit more than the pitchers here in Double-A. The game’s a little bit faster, too, which I’ve adjusted to. It took about a game or two to get used to.
“But again, I don’t think it was that big of a jump, and I’m looking forward to keep getting better, better at this level.”
Graham noticed McGonigle being a little too aggressive at the plate when he first arrived. But then most top-40 picks, like McGonigle was out of high school, are aggressive. Pitchers in Double-A aren’t throwing McGonigle a lot of fastballs, which has led to him chasing off-speed pitches out of the strike zone.
“That’s his floor right now,” Graham said, “which is an easy fix for him, because he’s always had a great swing-decision score, meaning he doesn’t chase too much.
“So it’s just more of him becoming a little more passive, because he’s an aggressive hitter, and the best hitters are. They’re aggressive. You make a mistake early, doesn’t matter what count, he’s going to explode on it.”
McGonigle: “His first four games he didn’t have the results, but you could tell it was going to come. He’s so aggressive at the plate, and in the heart of the zone — not chasing.”
