CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Kevin McGonigle was born and raised in greater Philadelphia. He loved the Phillies, watched Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber growing up and modeled his game after second baseman Chase Utley. So imagine McGonigle's thrill Sunday when he slugged his first Grapefruit League home run off his hometown team in a 4-2 loss at BayCare Ballpark, where he had watched Phillies Spring Training games as a kid.
“It was surreal, to be honest,” McGonigle said. “I always wanted to play against those guys, growing up watching them. Finally having the opportunity to share a field and compete against those guys really meant a lot. Having a lot of family back home watching and supporting me, it was pretty sweet.”
McGonigle, the Tigers’ No. 3 prospect, was one of four Detroit prospects in Sunday’s starting lineup against Phillies stalwart Aaron Nola. McGonigle jumped a first-pitch fastball from Nola in the third inning and drove it a Statcast-projected 406 feet to the berm in right-center field.
“When I got to first base after that walk [in the fifth inning], Harper was there,” McGonigle said. “I wasn’t going to say anything at first. He just said, ‘Nice swing,’ and I had the chance to say, ‘I grew up a big fan of you; 15 minutes from the stadium. Love watching you.’ He was like, ‘Wow, that's awesome.’
“He wished me luck this year, which is awesome.”