Kyle MacKinnon joins the Detroit Tigers

Former Ontario Blue Jays Coach, Kyle MacKinnon has made another stride in his professional coaching career this Fall as he has been hired by the Detroit Tigers. MacKinnon will join the Tigers' AA-Affiliate, the Erie Seawolves as their Hitting Coach for the 2026 season. MacKinnon has followed a long journey to get to his current position with the Tigers and looks to continue to grow towards the Major League level in the coming years.

Kyle began his coaching career with the Ontario Blue Jays in 2008 while helping lead the Brampton Royals AAA team that featured many future OBJ graduates including current Director of Player Development & Personnel, Conner Morro and Director of Baseball Operations, Darren Shred. MacKinnon would lead the Brampton Royals to a Canadian National Championship in 2012 before joining forces with the other best players in the province with the Ontario Blue Jays that following Fall. During his full-time tenure with OBJ, Kyle held a variety of roles including serving as a Head Coach within the program and having the opportunity to coach many future professional Ontario Blue Jays.

In 2016, MacKinnon made the move to the collegiate level moving to McPherson, Kansas to become a Student Assistant at McPherson College (NAIA). During his six years with the Bulldogs he worked his way through assistant roles to eventually being named Head Coach in 2021. MacKinnon built the foundation in which the program stood on in 2023 to take home their first KCAC Tournament Championship in the history of the college. 

In 2023, MacKinnon made his next jump, this time to the professional ranks as he took a job within the Houston Astros organization as a Hitting Coach. After a successful first year as a professional, Kyle made the move to the Kansas City Royals organization where he served as an Assistant Hitting Coach for two seasons. In 2024, he worked in Columbia, South Carolina for the Columbia Fireflies (A-Affiliate) and in 2025, he worked in Davenport, Iowa for the Quad Cities River Bandits (A+ Affiliate). 

Looking ahead to February of 2026, Kyle will once again head to Florida for Spring Training but this time to begin his first season with the Detroit Tigers!