Tigers top prospects promoted: Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Josue Briceño to Double-A Erie
First stop, Erie.
Later this week, the Futures Game.
Detroit Tigers prospects Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark and Josue Briceño have been promoted from High-A West Michigan to Double A Erie. They are expected to make their Erie debut at Harrisburg on Tuesday, July 8.
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Then, the spotlight will only get brighter for this talented trio. All three have been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, July 12, at Truist Park in Atlanta, a showcase of the top prospects in baseball.
Detroit Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland on Friday, Feb. 20, 2025.
McGonigle, Clark and Briceño are the Tigers top-three prospects who are healthy, considering shortstop Bryce Rainer underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in June.
McGonigle, a 20-year-old shortstop, is ranked the No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He hit .372 with a 1.110 OPS in 36 games at West Michigan. Said MLB Pipeline: 'McGonigle might have the best hit tool in the minors and has been a double machine when healthy this season.'
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INSIDER: One story about Kevin McGonigle sheds insight into why he's different
'He's really good at baseball,' Whitecaps manager Tony Cappuccilli told the Free Press on June 14. 'I mean, he's a special player. He makes everybody around him better. He just plays the game the right way. He knows where to be and wants to be coached. If he does something wrong and had another option, then he wants to hear it. He wants to get better. It's not just show up and throw the glove on and strap on the batting gloves — he wants to be coached. He wants to learn and he wants to know if he had other options in different situations throughout the game. So, he's invested in becoming a great player and playing for a long time.'
Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark gets ready for practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
Clark, 20, is ranked the No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He went through a slump earlier this season, but he is hitting .285 with a .430 on base percentage at West Michigan.
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'He's played incredible center field for us,' Cappuccilli said. 'So just he's definitely grown in terms of how he handles success and failure.'
INSIDER: Max Clark shows maturity, growth dealing with 'failure moments'
Briceño, 20, is ranked No. 58 by MLB Pipeline. He has jacked 15 homers with a .296 batting average in 55 games for the Whitecaps.
Detroit Tigers prospect Josue Briceño bats at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland on Friday, Feb. 20, 2025.
While Briceño has showed impressive power, it has been his defense at catcher that has been the most pleasant surprise.
'He wants to be a catcher,' Cappuccilli told the Free Press. 'He walks around like a catcher. He carries himself like a catcher.'
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He has improved his receiving and his throwing has impressed Cappuccilli.
'It's really been a pleasant surprise,' Cappuccilli said. 'You see him getting more and more comfortable. He's exceeded our expectations back there, both with his desire to be back there and his improvement. The questions he asked are good questions. He's engaged in what he's doing. I mean, he carries himself like a catcher. So it's been a lot of fun.'
In June, Cappuccilli was asked what it is like to coach this talented team in West Michigan.
ANALYSIS: He's no All-Star (yet) but Zach McKinstry is the fuel that makes Tigers purr
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"It's an incredible group of guys," Cappuccilli said. "They are great players — that's a given. People always ask, 'Oh, what's gonna happen when these guys move on to Erie?'
"I know I'm gonna miss the guys. I'll miss them in the clubhouse. Obviously writing their names in the lineup is nice, but the quality of character of the guys that we have here is amazing. Not only are they getting good players, but they are good people, and they want to win. They're not happy when they lose."
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers prospects promoted: Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Josue Briceño
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