Made me think of Trammell and Whitaker moving up the system to Detroit, together. As much as I’m looking forward to the Tigers one of the best parts of MLB.tv is the ability to watch all the minor league games as part of the package.
Full article at link.
==========
Clark and McGonigle arrived back in suburban Grand Rapids earlier this week, after a spring training in which both got into a few Tigers Grapefruit League games. McGonigle had four hits, including a home run, in 10 at-bats, and Clark had three hits in 11 at-bats. More importantly, both got to soak in the vibe in TigerTown, and soak in the wisdom from the guys who are established in the big leagues, which is where Clark and McGonigle want to be sooner than later.
“That’s the coolest experience in the world. I took so much out of that experience. You got guys like Riley (Greene) and Kerry (Carpenter) that I got to play a couple innings with here and there,” Clark said Wednesday, talking to a handful of reporters during media day at wildly renovated and upgraded LMCU Ballpark. "It’s special the way they control themselves and handle the environment and just go and do their business each and every day.
“Just being in that position really shows you where you want to be.”
Said McGonigle: “It was great to learn from them. You know, just trying to take everything in and just being surrounded by those guys is a blessing. I don’t talk. I just listen.”
It was a mild surprise to see Clark and McGonigle, both 20, as part of the Whitecaps’ Opening Day rosters, released Wednesday morning, given both finished 2024 at West Michigan, and both performed quite well. A promotion to Double-A Erie ― which is where you’ll find slugging catcher Thayron Liranzo, 21 ― would’ve seemed plenty appropriate. But McGonigle missed the final month of 2024 to have surgery on a broken hand, so it makes sense that he’d be back in West Michigan, at least for a little bit; and the Tigers also like the idea of Clark and McGonigle, friends before they were drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft and even closer now, moving up the chain side by side.