McGonigle and Stewart Win Rookie of the Year as Tigers' $150M Bet Pays Off

It took the Detroit Tigers less than a month of watching Kevin McGonigle at the big-league level to decide he was worthy of a nine-figure contract. Seven months later, McGonigle rewarded that confidence by becoming the runaway winner of the American League Rookie of the Year award on Monday night, while Cincinnati Reds slugger Sal Stewart took home the National League honour after anchoring the middle of his team’s lineup all season. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced both winners as awards week got under way, and the two clubs each banked an extra draft pick along with the trophies.

How big was McGonigle’s win?

About as big as a Rookie of the Year vote gets without being unanimous. McGonigle received 28 of the 30 first-place votes and finished with 204 points in balloting conducted before the postseason, TSN reports. Cleveland left-hander Parker Messick was second with two first-place votes and 122 points after going 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA and 193 strikeouts, and Boston lefty Payton Tolle was third with 54 points. McGonigle is the sixth Tiger to win the award, the first since pitcher Michael Fulmer in 2016, and the first Detroit infielder since Lou Whitaker in 1978.

The season behind the vote was steady rather than flashy, and that was the point. McGonigle played most of the season at just 21 years old and hit .278 with an .806 OPS, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, 28 doubles and 12 stolen bases while splitting time between shortstop and third base, TSN reports. He led all American League rookies in hits with 168, Flashscore reports, and he became only the third player in Tigers history to be selected to the All-Star Game at 21 or younger, joining Al Kaline and Mark Fidrych. “I’m trying to play my part and trying to help this team as much as I can and that’s what drives me every day,” McGonigle said. “On the days you’re tired, the days you need to rest, you’ve got to go out, lace the cleats up and go out for the guys in the clubhouse and this organization.”

Why did the Tigers bet $150 million on a rookie?

Because they saw enough in a few weeks to stop waiting. The Tigers signed McGonigle to a $150 million, eight-year deal in April, just a few weeks into his rookie season, TSN reports, and he responded with a stellar all-around season that earned him an All-Star nod and helped the Tigers remain in the playoff race for much of the summer. It is the kind of gamble that looks reckless until it works, and the Rookie of the Year vote is the first hard evidence that it did. A 21-year-old who had barely played a month of big-league baseball was handed franchise-cornerstone money, and within seven months he was the runaway choice as the best first-year player in his league.

The bet also pays off in a second currency. Because McGonigle logged enough days on a major-league roster to be credited with a complete year of service, Detroit picks up an extra selection after the first round of the 2027 amateur draft under the Prospect Promotion Incentive, TSN reports. The same applies to Cincinnati for Stewart. The award is a trophy, and the draft pick is the part the front offices will remember.

What did Stewart do to win the National League award?

He played every day and hit for power, and he did both at a level no other National League rookie matched. Stewart, 22, was a force for the Reds with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs while playing in all 162 games, including 161 starts, TSN reports. He led all National League rookies with 32 home runs and a .457 slugging percentage, Flashscore reports, and his 112 RBIs set a Reds franchise record for the most ever by a rookie in a single season, leading all rookies across baseball. His first 18 home runs before the All-Star break passed Frank Robinson for the most in Reds history before the break, and his 26-game hitting streak broke a franchise record outright, regardless of rookie status.

Stewart is the ninth Cincinnati player to win the award and the first since infielder Jonathan India in 2021, and the first National League first baseman to take top rookie honours since Pete Alonso with the Mets in 2019. He also joins an elite group: only the fourth rookie in MLB history to hit at least 30 home runs and drive in 110 runs, alongside Albert Pujols, Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge, Flashscore reports. Stewart, a 6-foot-1, 224-pound first-round draft pick in 2022 out of a Miami high school, said playing all 162 games was his favourite accomplishment of the season. “The people around my corner, they understand how hard that is, how difficult that is,” he told reporters. “Being available for your teammates every single day, that’s something that kind of goes unnoticed at times. But I know my teammates always appreciate that, and I want them to know I’m always there for them.”

Who finished behind them?

In the National League, Mets outfielder Carson Benge was second with seven first-place votes and 107 points, and Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt was third with three first-place votes and 99 points, TSN reports. Stewart was selected first on 20 of 30 ballots and finished with 170 points. Benge’s case was built on a 20-homer, 22-steal season and his outfield defence: he led National League right fielders with 10 assists, the New York Post reports, and his arm was on full display in August when he threw out two runners at the plate in the same inning. Benge, 23, thrust himself into contention with a strong August and September, but he could not overcome Stewart’s production, and he told The Post in late September: “I think I deserve it. I think I showed in the whole season, doing all facets of the game that I did a pretty good job of showcasing my talent.”

The full list of recent winners shows how quickly this award can turn into stardom, and the desk’s Rookie of the Year winners list runs through the 2024 honours, Paul Skenes and Luis Gil, who were both starting pitchers. The 2026 winners are both position players, and both play in the Central divisions, which is why the awards feel like a changing of the guard as much as a coronation.

What happens next?

Awards week keeps going. The AL and NL Cy Young Award winners and the Relievers of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, and the MVP winners will be revealed on Thursday. Pat Murphy won the Manager of the Year award from a hospital bed on Tuesday, taking the National League honour for a third straight year, and the White Sox’s Will Venable took the American League award. Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers’ rookie ace, is the favourite for the National League Cy Young after a 16-5 season with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, and he won the clincher as the Brewers beat the Rays to take their first World Series title. If he wins on Wednesday, Milwaukee will have taken three of the four major awards in one week, and the Tigers and Reds will be watching from the sidelines with their draft picks in hand.