The Detroit Tigers rule the Arizona Fall League at least. For the second straight year, a Tigers prospect has captured the award for the Fall League’s best player. Infielder Kevin McGonigle was named the Joe
Black MVP award winner as best player in the AFL on Friday, following in the footsteps of Josue Briceño’s MVP in 2024.
The Peoria Javelinas defeated the McGonigle led Scottsdale Scorpions on Thursday to end the Fall League season for the Tigers prospects on hand. The Tigers infielder closed out his campaign with a 1-for-4 night with a triple and a walk in the losing effort.
Across 88 plate appearances, the 21-year-old McGonigle hit .362/.500/.710 good for a 1.210 OPS. He cracked five home runs, five doubles, and a pair of triples, walking 19 times while striking out 12. He also stole three bases while getting caught once.
Max Anderson didn’t play quite as much but he could well have taken home the MVP award himself. The 23-year-old infielder recording 65 plate appearances and hitting .447/.609/.809 for a whopping 1.418 OPS. With four homers and five doubles, plus a stolen base of his own, Anderson struck out just nine times, walking in 18 plate appearances.
McGonigle played a bit of shortstop, but otherwise he and Anderson were mostly getting a taste of playing third base with the Scorpions.
A year ago, Josue Briceño dominated the Fall League as a 20-year-old to earn MVP honors. The catcher/first baseman slashed .433/.509/.867 with 10 home runs, five doubles, and a pair of triples across 105 plate appearances. That was good for a 1.376 OPS.
Briceño had barely seen High-A pitching at that point, and he and McGonigle are the same age, so that was still the more eye-popping campaign of the group, but suffice it to say the Tigers prospects like hitting in the desert.
McGonigle has already handled Double-A well, while Anderson spent the last month of the 2025 season at the Triple-A level, so in both cases the pitching in the Fall League was a step down from what they’re already used to, making it little surprise that the duo hit the cover off the ball for the past five weeks with the Scorpions.
Congratulations to your 2025 Arizona Fall League MVP.
