The Detroit Tigers’ minor league teams have impressed throughout the year, from the young, talented Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers to the perennial juggernaut AA Erie Seawolves. Both teams made it to league championships after dominant years and impressive player development, with contributions from players such as Bryce Rainer in Lakeland and Eduardo Valencia in Erie. Neither of these teams, however, reached the heights of the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Whitecaps won their league this year as well, tying the all-time minor league record for winning percentage in a season, with a .702 winning percentage (92-39). Despite a roster turnover in July after a hot start, the ‘Caps never skipped a beat, keeping their foot on the gas pedal en route to a sweep of the Midwest League playoffs. It’s been a complete team effort for the Whitecaps from top to bottom, as both their arms and their bats were crucial to the championship-winning squad.
The arms
The Whitcaps broke camp in 2025 returning some key arms from the season prior, such as electric bullpen arms Marco Jimenez and Colin Fields. Fields had been a starter in the past, but transitioned to a bullpen role in 2025, where he thrived. Fields posted a 2.55 ERA in 70 innings out of the pen, earning Midwest League All-Star honors in the process. Jimenez was even more effective, albeit with fewer appearances. The righty tossed 60 innings en route to a neat 1.50 ERA in 39 appearances, picking up three saves. The 5’11, 240-pound righty also closed out both games of the Midwest League Championship series, not allowing a run while firing three-digit fastballs. The Opening Day starter for the ‘Caps was former Savannah Banana Joe Miller, a crafty left-hander who split time between West Michigan and Triple-A Toledo. Miller looked the part of a staff ace all season, posting an ERA a tick under three across both levels he worked at. One more notable was righty reliever Carlos Lequerica, who seemingly came out of nowhere and put up mind-blowing numbers in a little over 50 innings of work. Lequerica finished the year with an 8-0 record across 43 appearances and collected another three saves. His most impressive accomplishment, however, came in game 2 of the Midwest League semifinals, where he worked an immaculate inning against the Lake County Captains as West Michigan coasted to a 4-0 win. A name to keep an eye on might be righty Lucas Elissalt, who, after having nothing but success from the start of the season to August in Lakeland, was just as good in West Michigan. Across 89 innings in the two levels, Elissalt pitched to a lights-out 2.51 ERA. Elissalt is currently the #25 prospect in the Detroit system, and with the graduations of players such as Hao-Yu Lee and Dylan Smith on the horizon, I expect him to keep climbing the ranks.
The bats
At the start of the 2025 season, the position players on the roster were a bigger story than the pitching. The Whitecaps’ roster was headlined by players such as Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle, two top-20 prospects who would both rise to the top 10 by the end of the season. While both players performed admirably in their time in West Michigan, McGonigle’s numbers were eye-popping. In his 36 games with the Whitecaps in 2025, McGonigle put up a .372 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage, and an OPS over 1.000. He would also connect on seven home runs and 19 doubles in 145 at-bats, which made it clear early on that he was too good for the Midwest League. While Clark’s numbers weren’t quite on that level, he still showed out in his own right. In 68 games, Clark hit .285 with a .430 OBP, showing remarkable maturity and patience for a 20-year-old in his second full year of pro baseball. Clark also greatly improved his power outlook, hitting 14 homers across two levels. The less heralded third member of West Michigan’s fearsome trio was catcher and first baseman Josue Briceño. After earning Arizona Fall League MVP honors at the end of the 2024 season, the Venezuelan displayed the most impressive power in Detroit’s system, connecting for 15 home runs in 55 games with the Whitecaps. Briceño also put up more walks than strikeouts in his time with the Whitecaps while also reaching base at an impressive clip. The three were swiftly promoted to Erie in June, quickly followed by ‘Cap veterans Seth Stephenson and John Peck. It would be expected that after half of a team’s lineup gets changed, their performance would take a hit. This was not the case for West Michigan, however, as midseason promotions such as Garrett Pennington, Jackson Strong, and Woody Hadeen contributed greatly in the second half. While unsung heroes Brett Callahan, Peyton Graham, and Jack Penney were key contributors year-round, the most important cog in the Whitecaps’ lineup was Midwest League MVP Izaac Pacheco. After two frustrating years toiling in West Michigan, Pacheco finally broke through in 2025, clubbing 17 home runs and posting an OPS right around .900 throughout the year. While the numbers don’t jump off the page, Pacheco was incredibly clutch in 2025, going yard in the playoffs and hitting a walk-off grand slam in May. Again, it was a complete team effort, with the big names producing and the lesser-known guys introducing themselves.
A similar result is expected for West Michigan in 2025, with arrivals from guys such as Bryce Rainer, Carson Rucker, and Kelvis Salcedo upcoming. The future remains bright throughout all levels in Detroit’s system.
