Dynasty: Kevin McGonigle. Redraft: Jackson Merrill. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has McGonigle ahead, McGonigle #12 and Merrill #15, and the expert consensus agrees (#52 and #15). The community rates them even, FRV 70.1 and 72.4. For 2026 redraft, the consensus has Merrill ahead, #55 to #65.
JD on Jackson Merrill (Oct 2, 2026): This might be an ultra aggressive ranking that blows up in my face, or I could be a pioneer who sees reality before everyone else. Here is what I see in Merrill: He is 23 years old He just finished his 3rd year in the major leagues (at 23 years old) He has put up above average offensive stats every season (130 wRC+ in 2024, 115 in 2025, 105 in 2026). He absolutely exploded in the 2nd half and was the 5th best player on our player values (only behind PCA, Elly, FTJ, and Jackson Chourio). HE WILL BE 24 YEARS OLD IN 2027! He is similar in age to prospects like Sorota, Baez, Condon, and Tibbs while having 3 seasons in the big leagues under his belt. Ask yourself this question, if Konnor Griffin put up these 3 seasons of performance from 2026 to 2028, would you consider it a success? How excited would you be by Griffin heading into his age 23 season with this performance to start his career? Because I see no reason to rank a player who is still effectively a "prospect" above someone like Merrill who just put up a near 30/30 season at 23 years old. (For reference, Griffin is 16 in the expert consensus while Merrill is 52(!)) Is Merrill a perfect player? Not at all, he is far from it. He doesn't take enough walks and strikes out more than I would like for someone with his exit velocities. But he barrels the ball a ton, has an ideal launch angle, and is just now starting to enter the age where most players hit their prime. Merrill could be a sneaky 40 HR candidate next year, and if he continues to run like he did this year (27 SB) and manages his K rate, you have all of the makings of a top 5 player for 2027. But sure, continue taking the 20 year old prospect because he might turn into Merrill one day in this spot instead.
JD on Kevin McGonigle (Oct 2, 2026): There's a lot to like about Kevin McGonigle after his first season in the big leagues. I wish he could've ended the season with more walks than strikeouts, as that would've been an incredible achievement for a rookie in today's game. As it stood he still walked 95 times while only striking out 100 times. He also really found his power stroke in the second half, hitting 10 home runs across 255 AB (which equates to about a 25 HR pace over a full season) while taking a step back in OBP and walk rate compared to the first half (14.5% vs. 11.9%). That profile plays better in fantasy for sure, and I think the Tigers would like McGonigle to tap into his power stroke more often rather than being passive at the plate. So, what is the risk here? In my opinion there are two paths he can go down.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Jackson Merrill | Kevin McGonigle |
|---|---|---|
| Team | SD | DET |
| Position | OF | 3B/SS |
| Age | 23 | 22 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #15 | #12 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #52 | #15 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #55 | #65 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 70.1 | 72.4 |
| Expert Sources | 11 | 11 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #15–#87 | #13–#24 |
| Rest-of-Season Value | $1 | $1 |
| $ Earned Year to Date | $25 | $19 |
| ROS Rank (Top 300) | #203 | #238 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 10 spots | Up 1 spot |
| Stat | Jackson Merrill | Kevin McGonigle |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 664 | 707 |
| HR | 26 | 18 |
| R | 86 | 97 |
| RBI | 87 | 72 |
| SB | 27 | 12 |
| AVG | .254 | .278 |
| OBP | .303 | .376 |
| SLG | .440 | .430 |
| OPS | .743 | .806 |
| wOBA | .320 | .357 |
| xwOBA | .347 | .355 |
Price a Jackson Merrill-for-Kevin McGonigle trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their rest-of-season dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer