Kevin McGonigle Takes Home Peer-Voted Rookie of the Year Award

Since 1925, Sporting News has presented its annual awards, which are voted on by the people who know the game best: the players and managers themselves. Players vote on player awards, while managers vote on manager awards.

The awards include MLB Player of the Year, American League and National League Rookies of the Year, Managers of the Year, Comeback Players of the Year and Executive of the Year. Along with those honors, Sporting News also selects an All-Star team for each league.

This year, three Detroit Tigers earned recognition, but only one took home an individual award.

Kevin McGonigle, who played nearly the entire season at just 21 years old, made an immediate impact in Detroit. Manning the infield wherever skipper A.J. Hinch needed him, McGonigle exploded onto the scene from the very beginning and never looked back.

Now, he has been named Sporting News American League Rookie of the Year, an honor voted on by his fellow MLB players. Rather than an award decided by media members watching from the outside, this recognition comes directly from the players who grind through the season themselves and know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

From his very first at-bat, when McGonigle flared a double down the right-field line to drive in two Tigers, to the end of the season, when he finished with the ninth-most walks in all of baseball, he consistently demonstrated remarkable composure and poise at the plate.

He looked like a young Victor Martinez with the way he remained locked in on every pitch. His elite plate discipline was evident in his 19.6% chase rate, which ranked in the 98th percentile, and his 16.2% whiff rate, which ranked in the 89th percentile.

That ability to track pitches and control the strike zone helped McGonigle lead the Tigers in walks (95), runs (97), hits (168) and stolen bases (12). He also finished with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, ranking fourth on the team in both categories. His 28 doubles tied Spencer Torkelson for second on the team.

The former first-round pick also posted an American League-leading 7.1 wins above replacement (bWAR) while slashing .278/.376/.430.

McGonigle's historic rookie campaign put him in rare company. He became just the second rookie in MLB history to record a season with at least 95 runs, 26 doubles, 17 home runs, 70 RBIs and 94 walks.

The only other player to accomplish that feat? Ted Williams in 1939.

McGonigle was also selected to the All-Star Game at his hometown ballpark in Philadelphia, where he grew up. He received a standing ovation from the crowd, demonstrating that his talent and impact were recognized well beyond Detroit.

By the time the All-Star break arrived, McGonigle had already made history with his ability to reach base multiple times in a game. Opposing teams simply struggled to keep him off the bases.

A menace at the plate and a capable defender in the field, McGonigle has now earned his second American League Rookie of the Year honor this offseason. And I can assure you, it won't be his last.

The official MLB awards are scheduled for Oct. 26, where McGonigle is likely to be in the conversation for the league's major Rookie of the Year honor as well.

However, earning any award voted on by your peers carries a little more weight than many people might realize.

Recognition from those who compete against you day in and day out is special. These are the players who understand the preparation, discipline and effort required to perform at the highest level.

For McGonigle, being recognized by his fellow players is another testament to the remarkable season he put together in Detroit. And for a 21-year-old who has already accomplished so much, it could be just the beginning.