West Michigan Whitecaps: Baseball America’s 2025 MiLB Team Of The Year
When asked to describe the West Michigan Whitecaps’ season, manager Tony Cappuccilli admitted he needed a moment.
He grinned.
“It’s been incredible,” he said. “There isn’t really any other way to put it. I mean, we were 53 games over .500 before the (Midwest League) playoffs. It obviously exceeded our expectations.
“You can’t expect to have that kind of a season.”
After spending more than 20 years in a variety of roles with different organizations, Cappuccilli made his managerial debut with West Michigan in 2024, finishing 68-63 and in a tie for fifth place. That would set the table for a 2025 season to remember for the Tigers’ High-A affiliate.
“Coming out of spring training, the Whitecaps’ roster was the strongest I have ever seen,” West Michigan vice president and GM Jim Jarecki said. “The players came up to West Michigan, not with a chip on their shoulder, but with confidence that was as strong as it could be.
“The Detroit Tigers’ player development and drafting and training are as dominant as they have ever been, and the results continue to show.”
For the players, many of whom were returning to West Michigan, it was the camaraderie from multiple seasons spent together that set the tone.
“I think everyone truly wanted everyone else on the team to win,” outfielder Seth Stephenson said. “Not only did we want everyone to win, but we also wanted to win collectively as a group.”
While a handful of names garnered more prospect notice—most notably shortstop Kevin McGonigle and center fielder Max Clark, Detroit’s top two prospects who spent the first half of the season with the Whitecaps—inside the clubhouse, everyone had a part to play.
“I don’t think there were any egos on that roster,” an American League scout said. “At least, none that I saw. There was obviously a lot of focus on those several guys, but I think that whole team understood that it takes a roster to win ballgames.
“And not only did they win. They blew just about everybody out of the water.”
The Whitecaps went 92-39 this year. They never lost more than three games in a row. Their .702 winning percentage was the best in the minor leagues since the Modesto A’s had a .706 mark in 1994.
“I felt like this team was really good because I already felt that energy of us showing up every day and doing what we have to do,” middle infielder Jack Penney said. “We never changed our attitude, and I think the results never changed our attitude. As we played more games, we realized that we never really changed what we did.
“That’s how special it was.”
The Whitecaps’ plus-294 run differential was the best in the minors since at least 2005.
“I think we just took it game by game,” reliever Carlos Lequerica said. “And then once you kind of get deep into it, you’re like, ‘Whoa, there’s kind of something crazy brewing here.’ Then, before you know it, you’re at 92 wins.”
Cappuccilli had a new coaching staff in 2025, including pitching coach Nick Green and hitting coach Matt Malott. With most of the West Michigan players having known both Green and Malott, that ability to bond quickly played into the makeup of the Whitecaps’ roster.
“We wouldn’t be even close to where we ended without (Cappuccilli),” third baseman Izaac Pacheco said. “It’s the way he treats us. We can go into his office whenever we want and talk to him about anything. It doesn’t have to be baseball-related. That kind of energy allowed us to go out and play freely.”
Throughout the year, the players commented on the ease that comes with being trusted to do your job. From the scouting reports to the personal conversations, the players noticed and are the first to admit that leadership made all the difference.
“(Nick) Greeny knows all his guys,” Lequerica said. “He knows how to approach them. He knows what they need and how to help them. He’s great.”
The players’ mentality didn’t change throughout the season, and neither did the expectations.
“(Cappuccilli) had one rule for us,” Stephenson said. “It was to act like and be a professional. When you respect your manager, you’re going to do things the right way, and we all have so much respect for him.”
After sweeping Lake County and Cedar Rapids in the MWL playoffs, Cappuccilli was still allowing it to sink in.
“I love these guys,” he said. “It’s truly such a good group of guys and just the way that they maneuvered themselves through the course of this season. This is my 22nd year coaching baseball, and I’ve never had a group like this.”
