April 30, 2026, 11:39 a.m. ET
Atlanta — So, how did Kevin McGonigle’s first month on the job go?
In some ways, historically well.
Heading into the final day of the month Thursday, the 21-year-old already set a franchise record by any left-handed hitter with 32 hits in April. Ty Cobb didn’t do that. Charlie Gehringer, Lou Whitaker, Norm Cash, none of them.
McGonigle’s 11 doubles in March-April are the most by a left-handed hitter and two shy of Magglio Ordonez’s club record 13 in 2007. He is also the first Tigers’ rookie with 32 hits in any calendar month since Willi Castro had 34 in 2020.
“I mean, it’s definitely been a dream come true,” McGonigle said of his first month on the job. “Playing at the highest level of baseball was always the dream. I’m just happy to go out with this group of guys and do it all together.”
He took the MLB’s longest current on-base streak, 26 starts, into the finale against the Braves. He is the first Tigers rookie to do that since Ricky Peters in 1980. If he extends it to 27, he brings Dick Wakefield into the conversation. Wakefield had a 29-start streak in 1943.
McGonigle’s hit streak was at 13 games. The last Tiger 21 years old or younger to post a hitting streak of 14 games or more was a 20-year-old Al Kaline who hit in 15 straight games in 1955.
With the start Thursday, McGonigle has played in 31 or 32 games and started 30 of them. His ability to post every day and play a premium position (shortstop) has been as impressive as his streaks.
“It’s the staff here, the coaches,” he said. “They help me get into the routine of things. I’m still trying to find a routine going into each series, just getting used to what I need to do to prepare for each game. They’ve been a great help and my teammates have been a great help.”
During this road trip, he’s taken a pitch off his hand and fouled a ball hard off his foot and just kept chugging.
“I’m taking care of my body in the training room, doing some recovery stuff with the trainers after games,” he said. “Just doing all the little things right. In my professional career, I’ve never really got into the training room. I just kind of went out and played in the minor leagues. But I’m learning new things I’ve got to do to stay out there.”
McGonigle, slashing .333/.420/.518, leads American League rookies in hits, doubles, triples, batting average, on-base and slugging and he’s second in OPS. And now he has the added burden of being the only healthy shortstop on both the active and 40-man roster.
Not that he looks at it like a burden. More like an opportunity.
“It really sucks that Javy (Báez) had to go down like that,” McGonigle said of Báez’s right-ankle sprain. “We’re hoping he comes back sooner rather than later. But of course I’m ready to go out there and play that position to the best of my ability.”
@cmccosky
