Detroit – Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle is in uncharted water. He has been, actually, for a couple of months.
He’s never played more baseball games in one five-month stretch than he has this season. The 88 games and 397 plate appearances he accrued in Double-A last year were the most in his short professional career.
Saturday was his 131st game in his first big-league season and he entered with 585 plate appearances.
It’s a lot. And it was suggested, seeing that McGonigle was fighting through an 0-for-14 stretch and failed to reach base safely in three straight games for the first time this season, that he might be fatiguing.
Manager AJ Hinch wasn’t biting.
“Kevin hit a ball last night (Aug. 28) that would’ve gone out of 22 of the 30 ballparks in this league,” he said of McGonigle’s 404-foot out to end the eighth inning. “Fatigue didn’t seem to be a factor.”
Hinch did concede, though, that mental fatigue could be an issue. And this is one of his passion-point topics.
“Mental fatigue is probably something every player goes through in August,” he said. “And what is ironic about that, you can concede to it and think August is a hurdle to clear. But if you want to be a good team and a player who is remembered over time, you’ve got to do something in October.
“August turns into September, which turns into October. We want to be a team that is two months away from fatigue.”
Think about it. McGonigle played 88 games last season and that’s with a mandatory off day and mandatory designated-hitter day each week. The minor league system, while trying to protect young players, is kicking the can to the big leagues to build players’ endurance for the full 162-game slate.
“I don’t care what we’re talking about, whether it’s getting in shape or whatever you are trying to do, what do you do? You keep pushing,” Hinch said. “You have to play more in order to push through this portion of the season. There’s still two months left.”
That is why the lefty-swinging McGonigle was back in the lineup Saturday, facing a two-time Cy Young-winning lefty starter for the second straight game – Tarik Skubal Friday, Blake Snell Saturday.
“The tough love part is, you are out there,” Hinch said. “You want to be one of the best in the league, those players are out there. I know workload management has become more in vogue to help players run the full race. But it’s never a 24-hour reset. You have to stay in the fight mentally as much as you do physically.”
Hinch pointed across the way at the Dodgers’ veterans like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Best, players that have posted every day for years. He pointed to McGonigle’s idol, former Phillies great Chase Utley, who averaged 134 games a year for a 10-year stretch between the ages of 26 and 35.
“It’s hard to build endurance any other way but to do it,” Hinch said. “Part of this is fighting the good fight, hitting with tired hands and tired legs and still finding ways to contribute.”
McGonigle, just 22, has the third highest bWAR (6.0) in baseball. And even though he made an error and has gone hitless for three games, even though he is sporting an ugly gash on his left index finger from hitting a helmet on a tag play at second base, he is definitely fighting the fight.
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tough love for Kevin McGonigle, pushing through the dog days of August
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