Kevin McGonigle has spent most of his rookie season making people notice what he does with a bat.
On Monday night, A.J. Hinch could not stop noticing his glove.
McGonigle handled nine plays at third base during the Detroit Tigers’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, including five outs during one seven-batter stretch. His best came when he dove toward the third-base line to rob Yandy Díaz, then recovered quickly enough to make the throw across the diamond.
Hinch has managed more than 1,800 Major League games.
Even he had trouble remembering anything quite like it.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a third baseman make that many plays,” Hinch told MLB.com.
For a Tigers season increasingly filled with reasons to look toward the future, that comment deserves more attention than it might initially receive.
McGonigle was already supposed to be part of Detroit’s future because he can hit.
Now he is making the Tigers reconsider just how much defensive flexibility comes with the package.
Kevin McGonigle Is Learning on the Fly
Third base was not McGonigle’s primary position as he climbed through Detroit’s farm system. He developed primarily as a shortstop, and he told MLB.com that playing third has forced him to change how he attacks ground balls.
The biggest adjustment has been trusting one hand rather than routinely trying to secure everything with two.
Hinch believes the difference is noticeable.
“The more he’s become one-handed, the better he’s gotten,” Hinch said.
That may sound like a small mechanical tweak. At Major League speed, it isn’t.
A third baseman has less time to react, different throwing angles and considerably more balls that require reaching rather than getting the body comfortably in front of them. McGonigle’s work with infield coach Billy Boyer has apparently helped him become more comfortable letting his athleticism handle those situations.
The numbers suggest Monday was not simply one unusually busy night.
Baseball Reference currently credits McGonigle with five Defensive Runs Saved at third base, compared with two at shortstop. He has already logged substantial time at both positions during his rookie season.
That matters.
Third Base Is Becoming More Than an Experiment
The Tigers do not necessarily need to decide whether McGonigle is permanently a shortstop or third baseman.
They may be better off not deciding.
Detroit has already shown a willingness to move pieces throughout the infield, and McGonigle’s ability to handle multiple premium positions gives Hinch considerably more freedom when constructing a lineup.
That flexibility becomes even more valuable with young players such as Hao-Yu Lee and Colt Keith also competing for infield opportunities. Hinch has repeatedly adjusted Detroit’s alignment this season, including moving McGonigle around during an important August series against the White Sox.
There was a time when moving a young prospect around the diamond might have raised questions about whether the organization knew where he belonged.
McGonigle is making the opposite argument.
Maybe he belongs in more than one place.
His rookie season has already been impressive enough offensively to earn an All-Star selection, and he recently made his feelings clear when people began writing off the Tigers after the trade deadline. Monday added another layer to the player Detroit is watching develop in real time.
The Tigers lost again. There is no reason to pretend nine defensive plays change the larger problem surrounding a team that has struggled badly in August.
But development does not stop because the standings become unpleasant.
McGonigle entered the season with questions about whether his defense would eventually push him away from shortstop.
A few months later, Hinch is marveling at what he is doing at third.
That is a pretty useful problem for the Tigers to have.