DETROIT — They met at second base, two bright young talents sharing a remarkably similar trajectory — even if neither one fully knew how all this would play out.The setting was a tournament in Florida. Kevin McGonigle was playing for the Canes National select team. Colt Emerson was playing for Team Elite. They were both infielders on prestigious travel clubs. They were upperclassmen in high school, and they knew of each other mostly because they were both committed to play for the Auburn Tigers. Some of the memory is fuzzy now. Emerson mostly remembers a lopsided final score.“We played the Canes. Got our ass beat,” Emerson said. “I think we both had good games.”One of the young, left-handed hitting shortstops swatted a double. The other started a dialogue there at second base.“What’s up, bro?” McGonigle said. “My name’s Kevin.”“Hey, how’s it going?” Emerson said.More tournaments followed. Their paths kept crossing. Eventually they ended up playing on a Team USA squad that featured other big names such as Max Clark and Bryce Eldridge.It’s wild to look back on now. McGonigle and Emerson are both rookie infielders making their marks in the major leagues. McGonigle entered Sunday worth 3.4 bWAR, fifth among all MLB position players. His walk-off single Sunday lifted the Tigers to their fifth win in six games as they try to salvage their season. Emerson, who debuted May 17, had an .867 OPS in his first 62 MLB at-bats.Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million deal at the end of March, before he had played a major-league game. McGonigle inked an eight-year, $150 million contract extension in April. But in a different universe, the two infielders could be at the tail end of their draft years for the Auburn Tigers, who were eliminated in Super Regional play this weekend.