Ed Smith, 33, of Miami, left, and Roberta Souza, 39, of New York talk in front of the big tiger statue during Detroit Tigers' Opening Day at Comerica Park on Monday, July 27, 2020. 0e6a3363 big tiger, tiger statue, empty, Comerica Park logo, Comerica Park entrance Rodney Coleman-Robinson via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Tigers Top Prospect Named Team's Best In AFL

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 2:19 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of what could be one of the biggest late-season collapses in recent Major League Baseball history. They could potentially miss the postseason after previously holding the best record in the entire league. But even if they do, there are reasons to be excited about the future in the Motor City. Entering the 2025 season, Detroit had the top ranked farm system in the league.

The Arizona Fall League will take place around the same time as the postseason, and the Tigers have some interesting prospects taking part in it.

The AFL represents an opportunity for organizations to get a better look at certain prospects or for players to make up for lost time due to injuries. Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com listed each team's best AFL prospect, and for Detroit, it was infielder Kevin McGonigle.

Tigers Top Prospect Ranked Team's Best In AFL

"McGonigle at-bats will be must-watch in the Valley. The 2023 37th overall pick is the Minors’ best pure hitter and checks all the boxes for that designation with a disciplined approach, ability to make consistent contact and impressive impact from the left side. A career .308 hitter, McGonigle could hit above .400 in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League, where he’ll make up for time lost to an early-season right ankle sprain."

Despite his ankle injury, McGonigle performed well this year. He slashed .305/.408/.583 with 19 home runs, 80 RBI and a .991 OPS. He also logged 193 total bases and had 31 doubles across three minor league levels.

The AFL will be a good opportunity to get some reps in for McGonigle, and after rising so quickly to Double-A, perhaps a good showing could put him on track to make some noise at Triple-A next year.

The Tigers are high on McGonigle and will have a chance to see what he can do when healthy in the AFL. If they miss the postseason, they at least have their top prospects and other players within their farm system to look forward to for next season.

It will certainly be interesting to see how he performs in the AFL with more opportunities after getting healthy. The ankle injury limited McGonigle to just 88 games during the regular season, but he'll have a chance to get himself on track for a good season in 2026.

More MiLB: Mets Catcher Listed As Team's Best Prospect Competing In AFL

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

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