Detroit has a new top prospect, according to the MLB Top 100 Rankings
Max Clark is no longer the top prospect in the Detroit Tigers ‘ minor league farm system.
The July update to the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospect List saw shortstop Kevin McGonigle pass by the former third overall pick and claim a top-10 spot. McGonigle, who is slashing .373/.452/.683 over 37 games with High-A West Michigan this year, is now ranked No. 7 overall on the MLB Pipeline Top 100.
“McGonigle has as much helium as anyone on this list,” wrote Sam Dykstra for MiLB.com . “The left-handed-hitting shortstop might have the best hit tool in the Minors, and he’s been a doubles machine at High-A.”
The rise of Magoo
The in-game power tool is a surprising development for McGonigle and is the most likely catalyst for his 14-spot ascension. Coaches, players and families all spoke highly of McGonigle as a hitter after he was drafted. This isn’t the first time “best hit tool” has been used alongside McGonigle’s name, and he has 15 multi-hit games — five three-hit games, two four-hit games and a five-hit game — to back that up.
Injuries are the only thing holding McGonigle back from a promotion to the higher levels of the minors at this point. A desire to keep the trio of Josue Briceno, Clark and McGonigle together might also play a role in the delay, too.
An ankle injury led him to miss five weeks to begin the season, and a broken hamate bone (hand/wrist) ended his 2024 season early. Those aren’t the kind of injuries that spark any red flags right now, but staying on the field for a full year is still something McGonigle hasn’t done.
As a shortstop, there are certainly better defensive prospects, but he’s not error-prone and can cover enough ground to stay there until he reaches the bigs. Several scouts give him a second base projection at the next level, but it’s the bat that is special. He’s walking (12.3%) more often than he’s striking out (11.6%) with the Whitecaps and is nearing .300 in isolated power.
What does this mean for Max Clark?
Clark dropped five spots from No. 7 to No. 12 in the latest update, but there’s no need to sound any alarms. McGonigle’s bat was more developed coming out of the draft and it will take time to close that gap. Clark is an on-base machine with a .424 one-base percentage. He’s walking just shy of 20% of the time, and has cut his strikeout rate down from 22.9% in High-A a year ago to 17.0% right now.
The main criticisms of Clark are that he’s not hitting for much power and that his speed isn’t translating into anything game-changing. Clark’s already at seven home runs through 244 at-bats after finishing 2024 with nine total, but his .143 ISO isn’t anything to write home about. Still he has been heating up lately in that regard.
Clark has swiped 12 bases this year and been caught stealing twice. While those aren’t bad numbers, they once again fall in the unimpressive category. John Peck has as many steals, and Seth Stephenson is just outside the top 10 in the Midwest League with 24 in as many games.
With all that said, Clark is still among the best prospects in baseball. The only outfielder ranked ahead of him is No. 1 overall Roman Anthony, who has already been called up to Boston. It’s going to take time for Clark to reach his full potential, but he’s not regressing or showing any signs of a bust at this point. It’s worth remembering that he’s almost half a year younger than McGonigle, and won’t turn 21 until the end of the year.
Keeping him on schedule with Briceno and McConigle could be detrimental to his development, though. If those guys are ready for a promotion and Clark isn’t, the organization needs to consider breaking up the trio, at least temporarily. I still expect all three to go to Erie together or within a week or two of each other.
Josue Briceno also moving up
As great as McGonigle’s 14-spot climb was, Josue Briceno one-upped him with a 15-spot jump to No. 58. McGonigle still gets top billing as the new top-10 entry, but Briceno is among the best in the minors as well.
He had the first Triple Crown season in Arizona Fall League history and currently leads the Midwest League with 14 home runs and a 1.015 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. His 52 runs batted in are second only to Callan Moss, from the Kansas City farm system. Big swingers tend to strike out a ton, but not Briceno. He’s walked 39 times and struck out 37 times through 51 games.
Briceno is ready to face Double-A pitching, and he’ll probably hit just fine there. There are long-term concerns about him lasting at catcher, although he’s improved considerably behind the plate since we saw him live last year in Lakeland. His arm is good, and his blocking and framing have improved significantly, but he’s not tracking like a high end catcher in either regard. The ABS system may alter the requirements to catch, particularly for an AJ Hinch led team, but for now a mix of first base and designated hitter days appear to be in his future, particularly because the bat may be ready long before his work behind the plate reaches the MLB caliber level.
Other Tigers on the list
Shortstop Bryce Rainer and catcher Thayron Liranzo check in at Nos. 41 and 88, respectively.
Rainer is out for the year after a dive back to first led to shoulder surgery. He also got hit in the head with a ball in the first week of the season, so scouts had limited looks at him. When he was on the field, Rainer only hit the ball hard. Everything came off the bat over 100 mph, with multiple plus exit velocities recorded in his short time before the injury.
He’s the guy who’s going to move McGonigle to second, but probably not until both are in Detroit. Rainer might have to repeat a half season with Lakeland after just 149 plate appearances. The numbers are decent (.288/.383/.448, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 13.4 BB%, 22.1 K%, 9 SB, 136 wRC+), but it’s a small sample size. If he stays healthy in 2025, Rainer could make the same jump into elite status that McGonigle did this year.
Liranzo has been a bit of a disappointment in Double-A this year. He put up incredible numbers after making the move from the Dodgers org last year, walking 22.6% of the time, striking out just 17.4% and hammering the ball to the tune of a. 247 ISO. Those marks haven’t translated to the Double-A level as of yet.
Liranzo is striking out more than ever (28.6%), though he continues to walk a ton (16.8%). His overall production has been reasonably good, but certainly down significantly from his work last summer. His batted ball average is below league average at .273, and it might be because of an increase in fly balls. Eventually that should lead him back to hitting for more time power. Even so he has 8 homers in 50 games and retains his excellent raw power. He just needs more time to settle in and get used to a tougher brand of pitcher.
A 10-spot dip is far from the worst drop on the Top 100 list, but Liranzo needs a better second half to get back on track.