Comstock Park, MI – – Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – – Manager Brayan Peña returns to the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2022 to lead numerous talented young players who highlight the club’s initial 2022 roster unveiled in conjunction with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday (roster attached).
Headlining this year’s Whitecaps
Comstock Park, MI – – Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – – Manager Brayan Peña returns to the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2022 to lead numerous talented young players who highlight the club’s initial 2022 roster unveiled in conjunction with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday (roster attached).
Headlining this year’s Whitecaps roster are eight members of the Tigers 2021 MLB Draft class and eight consensus Top-30 Detroit prospects. Leading the class is 2021 32nd overall pick and pitcher Ty Madden, who ranks as the Tigers #6 prospect, according to Baseball America.
While pitching for the University of Texas Longhorns, Madden enjoyed a phenomenal run in the 2021 College World Series and now headlines the Whitecaps starting rotation. The native of Cypress, Texas, was the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year and the #9 2021 MLB Draft prospect before being selected by the Tigers with the #32 overall pick.
Opening Day in West Michigan is Tuesday, April 12 at 6:35 pm. The Whitecaps will play 66 home games this summer and each includes food, fun, and a variety of promotions including Family Fare Fireworks on select dates. A limited number of multi-game, group and individual tickets are still available.
Other highly regarded players headed to West Michigan include pitchers Dylan Smith (#9 by MLB Pipeline), Wilmer Flores (#15 by MLB Pipeline), Keider Montero (#29 by MLB Pipeline), catcher Eliezer Alfonzo (#25 by Baseball America), infielder Colt Keith (#13 by MLB Pipeline), and outfielders Parker Meadows (#20 by Baseball America) and Bryant Packard (#28 by Baseball America).
Austin Murr, drafted in the sixth round and hit .344 in 25 games to end the 2021 season last year, and outfielder Austin Schultz (tenth round), headline a few offensive returnees to West Michigan.
“The 2022 roster is a great combination of returning players and new players coming to West Michigan,” Whitecaps Vice President and General Manager Jim Jarecki said. “The performance on the field will be competitive and a number of players are ready to show their talents here in West Michigan.”
Among the initial Whitecaps 30-player roster, 17 players have played with the ‘Caps in previous years. Infielder Wenceel Perez, who first joined the ‘Caps nearing the end of the 2018 season, and pitcher Angel Reyes, who played two full seasons as a vital member of the Whitecaps bullpen, are both headed back to West Michigan.
Peña, who managed the Whitecaps during the 2021 season, returns to LMCU Ballpark with plenty of new faces to assist him. Peña’s coaching staff consists of hitting coach C.J. Wamsley, pitching coach Dean Stiles and developmental coach Nick Bredeson.
“The coaching staff coming to West Michigan is excited to take on the challenge and is a good mixture of veteran coaching experience and the analytical side of the game,” Jarecki said. “Last years’ experience, after not playing in 2020, was a lot of catching up and now they have that season under their belts.”
The Whitecaps scheduled season opener is Friday, April 8, at Dow Diamond against the Great Lakes Loons before *the home opener Tuesday, April 12, against the Lansing Lugnuts at *
*6:35 pm. *
Groups are encouraged to set dates now as all 24 dates for May and June are nearly full. Suites are now available for rental. All promotions, health and safety protocols, tickets, and more are available at WhitecapsBaseball.com.
About West Michigan Whitecaps: The Whitecaps minor league baseball team was established in 1994. The Whitecaps are the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and play in the Eastern Division of the Midwest League. The team’s home games are played in West Michigan’s favorite, largest, outdoor, multi-purpose venue, LMCU Ballpark. For more player information, contact Dan Hasty at **[email protected]** or 586.604.6755. For more information on Whitecaps and LMCU Ballpark, visit whitecapsbaseball.com or contact Steve VanWagoner at **[email protected]** or 616.318.8949.
For the full roster, click here: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/ywdsrhilzyiaqiy3ad25.pdf