Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle had a tremendous rookie season. In 156 games played for Detroit, he had a .278 batting average with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, along with 12 stolen bases on 16 attempts. His on-base percentage was .376, his slugging percentage was .430, and his OPS was .806. McGonigle’s 7.1 bWAR led every American League player.

He turned 22 in August and could very well be the next face of the Tigers franchise. McGonigle was also an American League All-Star in July, during his rookie season. It would be a major shock if he didn’t win the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Baseball America Names Kevin McGonigle Its All-Rookie Shortstop

Baseball America writer Matt Eddy listed his all-rookie team for the 2026 MLB season on Tuesday. It is not surprising that he listed McGonigle at shortstop. Eddy wrote:

“McGonigle won the Tigers’ shortstop job out of spring training and turned in an outstanding age-21 season in which he led all American League players with 7.1 bWAR. He batted .278/.376/.430 with across-the-board contributions that saw him rank first among rookies with 168 hits, 95 walks and 97 runs and second in OBP and with 260 total bases. McGonigle didn’t grade as well defensively at shortstop and spent much of September at third base, while fellow rookie John Peck manned short.”

Who Else Stood Out in the 2026 Rookie Class

Eddy also grouped Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin and Milwaukee’s Cooper Pratt among the other notable rookies of 2026. McGonigle deserved the nod over those two players, no doubt. It will be interesting to see what comes next for McGonigle in his MLB career with Detroit.