Tigers' Kevin McGonigle learning on fly how to cope with big-league grind
Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle has played 45 games in 53 days, entering Monday. He's never done that before.
Detroit — Kevin McGonigle had never before in his young professional career gone deep into the hole at shortstop and made a Derek Jeter-type backhand play complete with a jump throw to first. He’s made two of them this season. He’d never before picked a ball behind the bag at third, ala Brooks Robinson, and threw a dart all the way across the diamond to nab a runner.
He’s done that already, too. He’d never been mentioned in the same sentence as Joe DiMaggio, either. But that happened after his first month when he had 30 hits, 10 doubles and just 14 strikeouts.
No 21-year-old player had done that since DiMaggio in 1936. Here’s something else he’s never done before: He’s never played 45 baseball games in 53 days. That’s where he was entering the day Monday.
“That’s the difference the major leagues and the minor leagues,” manager AJ Hinch said. “The schedule is relentless here. ” In the minor leagues, teams play six days a week and young prospects like McGonigle typically get another day off during the week.
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