Kevin McGonigle
- Detroit’s roster as it stands starts at SS · 543 PA · 4.7 WAR in the role
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Extended in Apr 2026 (8 yr, $150M (2027-34)): clubs rarely move a player they just committed to.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 707 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 207 | .312 | .300 | 19% | 11% | 21% | +1.25 | −0.61 |
| RHP | 500 | .388 | .380 | 12% | 14% | 19% | +1.85 | +1.00 |
- Attack angle
- 15.3° (50% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- +1.1°
- Swing length
- 6.9 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 15%
- Pull-air %
- 19.5%
- Hard-hit %
- 37.7%
- Slash · wRC+
- .278/.376/.430 · 129
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage up over the middle (+3.1 vs. league per 100; 1.7 standard errors on 154 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest up and in (−2.1), but only 1.0 standard errors from average on 93 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average LHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 2,580 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like McGonigle: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Alex Bregman CHC · ’94 | .328 | 5.5 | 3.5 | Signed $35.0M |
| 53 | Kyle Tucker LAD · ’97 | .333 | 0.9 | 2.6 | Signed $87.0M |
| 50 | Will Smith LAD · ’95 | .389 | 1.7 | 2.2 | Signed $16.0M |
| 49 | Nick Sogard BOS · ’97 | .315 | 1.2 | 0.9 | Pre-arb |
| 48 | Carson Kelly CHC · ’94 | .310 | 1.6 | 1.7 | Free agent |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3B | −2 | −2 | +0.6 | −1.4 | 2,694 |
| 2026 | SS | −1 | −1 | +0.6 | −0.4 | 2,854 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
At 3B in 2026, the biggest loss came toward 1B line (−5 outs): a coaching target, though he plays SS in 2027.
Tools (percentile; arm among SSs)| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | 262 | +5.8 |
| 2026 | 3B | 233 | +10.9 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025A | A | Lakeland Flying Tigers | 20 | 6 | 20 PA | 20 PA · .235/.350/.353 · 0 HR · 5.0% K · 15.0% BB |
| 2025A+ | A+ | West Michigan Whitecaps | 20 | 36 | 171 PA | 171 PA · .372/.462/.648 · 7 HR · 11.1% K · 13.5% BB |
| 2025AA | AA | Erie SeaWolves | 20 | 46 | 206 PA | 206 PA · .254/.369/.550 · 12 HR · 12.6% K · 16.0% BB |
FanGraphs: FV 60 · ETA 2026 · #5 overall. Public pitch tracking exists only at Triple-A and some Florida State League parks.
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant