AFL standout Kevin McGonigle among 10 names to know in fantasy baseball

Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle failed to win MVP honors in the 2025 Arizona Fall League's All-Star game on November 9, but that hardly means one of the sport's elite prospects failed to impress. After promising stints at three minor league levels this past summer, McGonigle, 21, is likely to make his MLB debut during the 2026 season. Fantasy managers should clearly be on alert.

I was fortunate enough to watch McGonigle play twice during my excellent weekend attending the annual First Pitch Arizona Symposium, presented by BaseballHQ. This was the 30th anniversary of the event. McGonigle, named the league's top offensive player in two of the final three AFL regular season weeks, homered in the first game that ESPN colleague Tristan H. Cockcroft and I attended -- and off a legitimate starting pitching prospect in Luke Sinnard of the Atlanta Braves.

McGonigle, the No. 37 selection in the 2023 amateur draft from a suburban Philadelphia high school, drew a walk and hit several baseballs just about as hard as anyone else in the league's showcase All-Star event. There was more, though. McGonigle, perhaps appearing underwhelming physically at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, adds intangibles. He sprinted from home to second base when the final (wild) pitch of his walk eluded the catcher, advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on a ground ball. Nobody was stopping McGonigle.

In his next at-bat, with the bases loaded, McGonigle, a left-handed hitter known for excellent bat-to-ball skills, modest power and superior plate discipline, launched a 118-mph rocket down the right field line, but foul. With a little luck, that would have been a grand slam and a game MVP award. One pitch later, he ripped a 109-mph line drive, but directly at the right fielder. Again, it could have been a game-changing play. If one boasts quick wrists and consistently hits a baseball hard, generally, good things happen. McGonigle hit .362/.500/.710 over 19 regular season AFL games. It's a hitter's league, but c'mon.

None of this means that McGonigle, who produced a .305/.408/.583 slash line with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases across three minor league levels in 2025, will dominate in Spring Training -- or even make the 2026 Tigers roster. He must hit and defend in March exhibition games, and we shall see what moves the Tigers make this offseason.

McGonigle could/should start at shortstop/third base -- he is an excellent, aware defender -- and lead off. Frankly, there is a scenario in which McGonigle is Detroit's top fantasy hitter, perhaps delivering a cautious double-digit home run and steals combo while hitting for average and scoring many runs. Fantasy managers should consider him a top-100 option in both points and roto/categories formats.

Derby thoughts

The league held its Home Run Derby the night prior to the All-Star game, with a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates as the main headliners. Hulking 1B prosect Tony Blanco Jr. (6-foot-7, 245) won the event, launching breathtaking hammers into the sky, several of which the ballpark could not hold. One home run was tracked at 122.9 mph, a mark that no hitter (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton among them) has reached in the Statcast era. The event-clinching home run was a line drive to the opposite field over the right field wall. Everyone was impressed.

The problem is that Blanco struggles to make a reasonable degree of contact and he swings and misses quite a bit. He produced a .250/.377/.432 line and swatted only two home runs across 13 AFL games, striking out in 16 out of his 44 at-bats. He's only 20 years old and certainly may improve in 2026, but fantasy managers should look at the other Pirate for dynasty formats.

OutfielderEsmerlyn Valdez led the AFL with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 19 games, floating a .368/.513/.842 line. Valdez, who advanced to the finals of the derby before succumbing to Blanco, was selected for the league's All-Star game, connecting on an opposite-field single. Blanco was not invited. Valdez turns 22 in January. He is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and also hits right-handed. In 2025, he hit 26 home runs while whiffing at a 28% rate across two minor-league levels. Valdez isn't a top prospect himself, but he has a better chance than Blanco.

Other weekend thoughts

• Los Angeles Angels OF Raudi Rodriguez earned All-Star game MVP honors with a pair of 111-mph RBI singles. He finished second in the league's batting race at .433. Rodriguez doesn't need to be on the radar for fantasy managers yet, even in dynasty formats, though he did hit .281 in Single-A this season, with 14 home runs and 38 stolen bases.


• Tigers 3B Max Anderson led the AFL with a .447 batting average and a 1.418 OPS, with four home runs and twice as many walks as strikeouts. A right-handed hitter who played second base and third base at the two highest minor-league levels this season, Anderson hit .296/.350/.478 with 19 home runs. Don't be surprised when the Tigers start the 2026 season with both McGonigle and Anderson in their Opening Day lineup. Anderson, of course, is the late-round sleeper option.


• There weren't many recognized top prospects at the AFL. Chicago White Sox OF Braden Montgomery is one of them and he finished sixth in OPS over his 12 games, albeit with only one home run and three stolen bases. Montgomery doubled and walked twice in Friday's game. He hit second for the AL team on Sunday and drew a pair of walks. Montgomery figures to start 2026 back at Double-A Birmingham, where he produced a .780 OPS over 34 games, with one home run and three stolen bases.


• Scrappy White Sox 2B Sam Antonacci, an unheralded prospect I admit I knew little about, ripped three hits in Friday's game (including his fifth home run) and stole a pair of bases. He did not start the All-Star game, but he drove in a pair of runs late. Antonacci finished the regular season with a .378/.505/.541 line with 11 stolen bases. He led the AFL with 24 runs in 19 games. He also stole 48 bases across three minor-league levels this past season, hitting .291/.433/.409. He reminds me of Milwaukee Brewers 2B Brice Turang. Antonacci should steal bases as he debuts for the White Sox in 2026.

• Sticking with White Sox prospects, but on the pitching side, LHP Hagen Smith, the No. 5 pick in the 2024 draft, faced five batters in his scoreless second inning on Sunday night, permitting a single and a walk while striking out a pair. Smith made five short starts in the AFL (14 innings), striking out 21 while allowing only five hits. This was Smith at Double-A Birmingham, too. He is hard to hit with his powerful fastball/slider combination, but he is a walker, too. There is some concern among scouts that Smith may end up a relief pitcher, which is enough to scare me away.


• It may seem silly to trust Braves RHP Luke Sinnard more than Smith, since Sinnard was a lesser draft pick (third round in 2024) and posted a 4.60 ERA across his five AFL starts, but consider the circumstances, too. The Braves develop pitching better than the White Sox. Sinnard, who permitted three runs (two on the McGonigle home run) in Friday's game and thus did not pitch on Sunday, stands out at 6-foot-8 and with a repeatable delivery and excellent command. This sleeper should move quickly through the minors.


• Back to position players,Washington Nationals SS Seaver King --like Montgomery a first-round pick in the 2024 amateur draft -- delivered a 1.031 OPS at the AFL and he hit second for the NL All-Stars, ripping a line-drive single in three at-bats and stealing a base. King struggled to hit for average and his plate discipline is a problem, but he is an athletic middle-infielder with elite speed. He should debut in Washington in 2026, perhaps in a utility role.


• Finally,Seattle Mariners OF Jonny Farmelo went hitless in the All-Star game, and he wasn't great over his 23 regular-season AFL games, hitting .234/.406/.442, albeit with 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. Farmelo, boasting the raw power to be the cleanup hitter on Sunday, is athletic enough to pile on the stolen bases, too. However, there is much swing-and-miss in his game. I will follow his progress in 2026 for sure.