Sunday, October 26

DETROIT -- Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and manager A.J. Hinch met with the media last week to review the season that just ended for them. But in looking over what went right and wrong in 2025, it was clear Harris has his eyes on the future.

Yes, the Tigers face a big offseason to try to improve on back-to-back Division Series berths. But it’s no coincidence that as Harris discussed points of improvement, smoothing the entry paths for prospects was high on his list.

"We have to continue to get better at breaking young players into the big leagues,” Harris said. “I’ve talked about it since the day I got here, and I've been very outspoken about trying to make sure that the environment that Colt Keith and Parker Meadows jump into is better than the environment that Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson jumped into, and then the environment that Dillon Dingler jumped into is better than the environment that Colt Keith and Parker Meadows jumped into. We’ve got to keep making progress there, because it's too important to our future.

“We've talked a lot about our last three Drafts. We’ve talked a lot about some of the players coming through the Minor Leagues. Those guys are really close. A lot of them are going to help us next year, and we’ve got to make sure that the environment that they're jumping into is going to get the absolute most out of them, and that work starts right now.”

It wasn’t hard to figure out who Harris meant by that. Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark and Josue Briceño laid the early-season groundwork for High-A West Michigan to win a Midwest League title, then helped bring Double-A Erie to within a game of what would’ve been its third consecutive Eastern League crown. Max Anderson, a step ahead of them, tore up the Eastern League in the first half, then helped pace Triple-A Toledo to the doorstep of a playoff berth.

If the Tigers are going to take the next step, that group is going to play a part, which is why most or all are expected to be in big league camp next Spring Training.

“I expect the players that posted dominant years in Double-A to factor into our big league team next year,” Harris said. “They've earned it. They posted incredible years as 20-year-olds, very young for the level. I expect their progress to continue, and I expect them to be in Detroit at some point next year.”

How soon could that be, and how could that impact the Tigers’ roster? Here’s a quick look at all four prospects and their potential fit:

Kevin McGonigle, IF (Tigers No. 1, MLB No. 2)

Get ready to hear and read a lot about the former supplemental first-round pick. The Philly native grew up idolizing Chase Utley, and his game fits the profile, from his powerful left-handed bat to a gritty toughness in the field and a serious competitive streak. He slashed .305/.408/.583 with 31 doubles, 19 home runs, 80 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in just 88 games across three development levels, and his 182 wRC+ led all Minor League players with at least 300 plate appearances this season. He’s more than holding his own in the Arizona Fall League, including a 416-foot drive for his first home run on Wednesday.

McGonigle has primarily played shortstop but can bounce all over the infield, and he’s notably working at third base in the AFL. That gives the Tigers a ton of flexibility alongside Zach McKinstry, Javier Báez and Keith. McGonigle has just 46 games above A-ball, which tempers aspirations of him making the Opening Day roster. But if he has a strong Spring Training and the Tigers have a clear opening, the idea of McGonigle making a Rookie of the Year case and earning the Tigers an extra first-round pick as part of the Prospect Promotion Incentive could be tempting.

Max Clark, CF (Tigers No. 2, MLB No. 8)

Clark, the third overall pick in the same 2023 Draft that brought McGonigle, was the Tigers’ top prospect a year ago until McGonigle broke out. He’s still a Top 10 prospect across baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and his season showed his multi-tool skill set and his steady progress, from a .271/.403/.432 slash line to his 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Like McGonigle, he has a sharp eye for the strike zone and will take his walks, much to Harris’ liking. He’s also a standout defender in the outfield.

Clark needs more time to round out his game, but his potential to be an all-around factor at Comerica Park will make it tempting to clear a spot for him at some point next season if he’s hitting. That could get tricky if Meadows has a bounceback campaign in center, creating a clash of prospect waves.

Max Anderson, IF (Tigers No. 9)

The Tigers drafted Anderson in the second round in 2023 as a bat-first infielder coming off a breakout at Nebraska. Two years later, that bat has broken out at the pro level. The 23-year-old hit .296/.350/.478 with 31 doubles, 19 homers and 88 RBIs between Erie (90 games) and Toledo (32 games), vaulting to the No. 9 prospect in Detroit’s system. Now he’s tearing up the Arizona Fall League, with three homers and eight RBIs over his first seven games.

Anderson was almost exclusively a second baseman in 2024 but increasingly transitioned to third base this season. His ability to crush left-handed pitching (1.017 OPS this season) and solid bat-to-ball skills make him an intriguing long-term option for one of those lefty-killer roles that Andy Ibáñez and Jahmai Jones have thrived in. 

Josue Briceño, C/1B (Tigers No. 3, MLB No. 33)

A year ago at this time, Briceño was crushing the Fall League on his way to a Triple Crown, an MVP award and a Top 100 prospect ranking. He kept up the momentum by dominating the Midwest League in the first half of this season. He had a tougher adjustment than others to Double-A pitching, but he eventually figured it out, posting a .266/.383/.500 slash line between the two levels with 20 homers and 76 RBIs in 100 games. He’s a left-handed hitter with all-fields power.

Briceño, who turned 21 in September, might have the longest path to the Majors of the group. Beyond continuing his adjustments to advanced pitching, the Tigers have to figure out if he can fit at catcher or if first base is his eventual landing spot. Even if he can catch part-time, he could provide some valuable versatility to the Tigers as a part-time backstop behind Dingler. If he’s more of a first baseman, the Tigers could someday face a decision with him and Torkelson.

To subscribe to Tigers Beat, visit this page and mark "Tigers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Tigers or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.