West Michigan Whitecaps shortstop Kevin McGonigle in action on April 4, 2025, at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Mich. Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers' Double-A Team, Boosted by Return of Shortstop, Dominating Midwest League

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Jami Leabow | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 12:40 PM ET

The Lake County Captains, the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, will open their six-game road series on Tuesday against a hot West Michigan Whitecaps team.

Make that very hot.

The Whitecaps are 36-15, with the Detroit Tigers’ affiliate buoyed by one of the strongest lineups in the Midwest League. They have won eight straight and 13 of their past 15 games, much of that span coinciding with the return of Kevin McGonigle from the injured list.

McGonigle went down with an ankle injury in the first week of the season and returned May 21. Since then, the 20-year-old is hitting .516 (16-for-31) with a home run and eight RBIs. He’s walked 11 times and struck out three.

In their recently completed series, the Whitecaps got their first-ever road sweep of a six-game series, beating the Dayton Dragons.

Six games. Six wins. This team's on a mission. #CatchTheWave pic.twitter.com/QKm7whctXy
— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) June 1, 2025

In the series finale on Sunday, McGonigle was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, two walks and three RBIs. He reached base five times for the second time in the series as the Whitecaps won 11-3.

He is riding a streak of five consecutive multi-hit games.

The shortstop is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 prospect in the Detroit system, No. 26 overall.

The Tigers, who have the best record in the major leagues, have five prospects ranked in the Top 100, with one at Double-A Erie – catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo, No. 85 overall – and shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 47) at Single-A Lakeland. The other three – outfielder Max Clark (No. 7), McGonigle and first baseman/catcher Josue Briceño (No. 80) – make for an imposing lineup at West Michigan.

And what’s even more frightening for opponents in the American League: Liranzo is the oldest at age 21.

The Whitecaps enter the series with the Captains with an impressive eight-game lead over the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics) in the Midwest League East. Their run differential is a whopping plus-124.

With McGonigle back in the lineup, this Tigers’ affiliate is steamrolling the opponents. How long will Clark, McGonigle and Briceño stay together in West Michigan, and how long before each makes an impact in Detroit?

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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