(image via Mark Cunningham/Getty Images)
Big day for baseball fans across Delco, as Monsignor Bonner’s very own Kevin McGonigle gets the call-up to the big leagues.
McGonigle, now 21, who models his game after Phillies great Chase Utley, was taken 37th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
He was taken this high for good reason. In his senior season with the Friars, he hit .530, smacked six home runs, and posted a 1.735 OPS.
Before being drafted, McGonigle was committed to Auburn and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania.
The shortstop quickly shot up the rankings, as by August 2024, he was the 33rd ranked prospect.
Between 2023 and 2024, McGonigle hit .310 with a .858 OPS across his first two minor league seasons, though his 2024 was shortened due to a broken hamate bone in his hand.
But in 2025, he really made his mark. Entering the season, he was ranked 28th in MLB Pipeline’s pre-season prospect rankings.
To begin the season, McGonigle joined the big league club in Spring Training and hit .400 with a 1.338 OPS in the 10 at-bats he was given that Spring before being optioned to Low A.
McGonigle began the 2025 regular season in Single A, and hit .358 across Low A and High A before earning a promotion to the Tigers’ Double A affiliate, the Erie Seawolves.
His time with the Seawolves showed what kind of player he could be. Despite only hitting .254 in Double A, he hit 12 homeruns, had an OBP of .369, SLG% of .550, and posted a .919 OPS.
Over the All-Star Break, McGonigle was named to the American League Futures team.
At the end of the season, he was named MiLB All-Prospect First Team and had shot up all the way to number two on the MLB Pipeline top 100.When MLB Pipeline released its 2026 pre-season prospect rankings, McGonigle stayed steady at number two.
Now this February, this got him another invite to Spring Training with the Tigers where he got a lot more time on the field. This Spring, McGonigle hit .250 with a .411 OBP, .477 SLG%, and a .888 OPS, and also hit a 437 foot tank against the Phillies.
And after a lot of speculation on whether McGonigle would make the Tigers roster, it was announced on March 24th that he would begin the season on the big league club.
The Delco product quickly made a name for himself, and finally earned the hard-earned promotion to the show. While the Tigers won’t be in Philly this summer, they will play in Detroit from July 10-12, where McGonigle could potentially get to face his childhood team.
McGonigle will wear number 7 for the Tigers.