Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle is having a rookie year to remember. He was an American League All-Star in July, his first selection, and he is already a household name in Detroit. In 153 games this season, McGonigle is hitting .278 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs, and he is 12-for-16 on stolen base attempts.

Kevin McGonigle Ranks Top Five in All of Baseball

His on-base percentage is .378, his slugging percentage is .428, and his OPS is .806. The most interesting number of his rookie season is his WAR, which sits at 6.9. That is fifth among every player in Major League Baseball, pitchers included, and the best mark any rookie has posted. It is the single strongest reason he should run away with the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Keith Law Has Kevin McGonigle First on His Ballot

Keith Law of The Athletic laid out what he expects the American League Rookie of the Year ballot to look like. He has Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox fifth, Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals fourth, Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox third, Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians second, and McGonigle first.

It is no surprise that McGonigle sits at the top of that list. A.J. Hinch made the same case a day earlier. Law wrote:

“McGonigle is running away with this, even though he’s been below average at shortstop and third base, splitting his time evenly between the positions; if he’d played all year at second, I think he’d have another half-win of value, at least. He’s a superstar in the making and part of why I’m still bullish on the Tigers going forward. Messick’s boost in velocity over the last year-plus took him from a future back-end starter to a front-end one. He’s always been a strike-thrower and has been durable and very effective this year, leading all rookie pitchers in innings and ERA (minimum 100 innings) and ranking second in FIP to Tolle.”

Parker Messick Is the Closest Thing to Competition

Messick has started 31 games for the Guardians this season after making seven starts in 2025. He has been excellent for Cleveland, but McGonigle has been better in a lot of ways, and he is an everyday player rather than a pitcher who works once every five days.