This kid is writing in one hell of a script. As if his spring hadn’t been impressive enough, A.J. Hinch had Kevin McGonigle batting lead off today against the Dominican Republic team. How do you make a statement? How about a first-pitch home run against former All-Star Luis Severino? Arguably, McGonigle’s greatest strength as a hitter is his understanding of the strike zone. But sometimes you don’t need to count the work. If you get fed one meatball, then it’s time to eat, and that’s what mechanical did here.
I remember a few years ago when Jackson Jobe was in the Tigers system and he pitched the ninth inning of a spring training game and just aired out that fastball. That was sort of a "where were you" moment, a deep cut for diehard Tiger fans. The big difference with that one, though, was that we knew Jackson Jobe wouldn’t make the team out of camp. McGonigle is fighting for a position, and with each at-bat, it feels like the body of work is getting stronger and stronger.
As exciting as it has been to see McGonigle swinging it well in spring training, there are certain instances where he gets hits off of guys who probably aren’t major league-caliber pitchers. Every team needs to fill a 40-man roster at this point in the season. But this is a little bit different. This is a legit exhibition game against a loaded Dominican Republic team, and while Luis Severino is by no means what he was 7-8 years ago, he’s still a guy who takes the ball every fifth day. You can really make a statement if you perform in a game like this. I think it’s safe to say that the statement has been made.