Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark and Josue Briceno are headed to the All-Star Futures Game. But first, they're bound for Double-A and the two-time defending Eastern League champion Erie SeaWolves.
The Tigers promoted their first-, second- and fourth-ranked prospects, all MLB Pipeline Top 100 members, from High-A West Michigan to Double-A on Sunday night. It's a move that had been anticipated for weeks since they tore up High-A pitching. The only question was when. The SeaWolves made the announcement in conjunction with the Tigers after Sunday's games.
The trio will join the SeaWolves in Harrisburg, Pa., where the team will face the Nationals-affiliated Senators for six games before the All-Star break. They'll make their home debuts after the break on July 18 before the SeaWolves don their newly announced alternate identity as the Erie Moon Mammoths the following day before a sellout crowd.
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All three bring special elite skill sets to the next level of play. They were already younger than many of their peers in the High-A Midwest League, and they'll arrive at Double-A at a time when they're still younger than most Draft-eligible college players. They'll join Tigers No. 5 prospect Thayron Liranzo to stack the SeaWolves with four MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects, perhaps the most talented roster of their run.
"Clark, McGonigle, Briceno, they don't carry themselves like a younger person," West Michigan teammate Seth Stephenson said last month. "They don't act like they’re high-school guys. That's what makes them so good. They not only have the same mentality as us older guys, but they’re way more advanced than anybody is at that age. I think that speaks the most on them."
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The 20-year-old Clark arrives at Double-A nearly two years to the day after the Tigers selected the potential five-tool outfielder with the third overall pick in the MLB Draft, the Tigers' first pick under president of baseball operations Scott Harris and scouting director Mark Conner. He arrived at West Michigan last summer and has been a regular atop the Whitecaps order all season, batting .285/.430/.427 with 12 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 47 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 68 games. He has more walks (65) than strikeouts (56), fueling his league-leading .430 on-base percentage, and he has stolen 12 bases in 14 tries, just off his 29-steal pace from last season.
McGonigle, who turns 21 next month, has been challenged only by health since joining the Tigers system as the 37th overall pick in the same Draft as Clark, tying the pair together at every level. McGonigle missed just over a month with a right ankle sprain sustained on Opening Day, but he has dominated since his return to West Michigan in mid-May while alternating between shortstop and second base. His 1.067 OPS is among the best out of Minor League full-season hitters with at least 150 plate appearances. His 21 doubles are tied for third-most in the league, two off the lead, despite just 126 at-bats, to go along with seven home runs and 39 RBIs. His .358 average would easily lead the Midwest League if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Like Clark, McGonigle has more walks (26) than strikeouts (20).
"This guy is very complete," Briceño said last month. "He has defense. He can run. He's a very good hitter."
More than on-field skills, McGonigle brings a tenacity and competitiveness that is infectious in a clubhouse, which would enable him to fit in well with an Erie squad that has set a benchmark for sustained success in the system through multiple waves of talent.
"It's more of an I'm-gonna-win mentality," Stephenson said. "It doesn't matter who's on the mound or where you're at in the field, what the score is. He's a dog. You know you're better than the guy against you. It's pretty cool."
Briceño, who turns 21 in September, has skyrocketed up prospect rankings since tearing up the Arizona Fall League, where he won a Triple Crown and MVP honors last fall. He carried that into this season, leading Midwest League hitters with 15 home runs, a .602 slugging percentage and a 1.024 OPS while sitting second with 57 RBIs. He followed a three-homer game on May 29 with a go-ahead grand slam two days later.
"All the power behind his swing, whenever he touches the ball, it's going to be hit hard," McGonigle said. "It's truly awesome to watch."