The Detroit Tigers had success in a 2024 season that saw an epic playoff run from 9.5 games back in the Wild Card race in late August to coming within just one game of their first ALCS appearance in a decade, and a ton of that was due to contributions from young players.

But just because the fruits of the rebuild finally started to bear this season doesn’t mean the Tigers don’t still have a ton of young studs who haven’t even seen the Major League game yet. Though some has obviously been lost via trades and graduation to the pros over the years, Detroit still boasts one of the best farm systems in all of baseball.

From guys like Max Clark to Bryce Rainer to the soon-to-be star Jackson Jobe, there is certainly some young and exciting talent in the organization. That being said, the most productive of the bunch this season in the minor leagues took some people by surprise this season and seems to be well ahead of schedule. In their ranking of every team’s most productive farm system player in 2024, MLB.com’s article named middle infielder Kevin McGonigle as the Tigers’ most impressive.

“The Tigers were enthused to add McGonigle with the No. 37 overall pick in ’23 and over-the-moon with his early results in the Minors, particularly when it came to his plate discipline,” the article stated. “The left-handed-hitting middle infielder walked 46 times while striking out only 28 in 74 games between Single-A and High-A before suffering a season-ending right hamate fracture. His K/BB ratio was best among 1,081 Minor Leaguers who got at least 300 plate appearances in ’24.”

There’s no question as to whether or not McGonigle is ahead of schedule, he certainly is. Just how quickly he can get to the majors is obviously the next question, but he has yet to play in Double-A to this point. Nonetheless, McGonigle has put up wildly impressive OPS numbers of .863 and .853 during his two seasons from rookie ball through High-A.

With only 14 games of High-A ball experience under his belt. it will likely be a couple of years before he’s ready to make contributions at the MLB level. But McGonigle has clearly established himself as a name to closely monitor as he begins to climb the ranks and establish himself as a key piece of the future of the Detroit Tigers.

Associated Press

Montreal Canadiens (12-16-3, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (13-14-4, in the Atlantic Division)

Detroit; Friday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Detroit Red Wings after Patrik Laine recorded a hat trick in the Canadiens’ 6-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Detroit is 13-14-4 overall and 3-4-1 against the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings are 3-4-2 in games they serve more penalty minutes than their opponents.

Montreal has a 12-16-3 record overall and a 4-3-0 record in Atlantic Division games. The Canadiens have gone 6-8-2 in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.

Friday’s game is the first time these teams match up this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lucas Raymond has 13 goals and 20 assists for the Red Wings. Alex DeBrincat has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Nicholas Suzuki has 11 goals and 21 assists for the Canadiens. Laine has scored six goals with one assist over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 4-4-2, averaging three goals, five assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

Canadiens: 5-5-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.8 assists, 4.7 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Red Wings: None listed.

Canadiens: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.