Former Whitecaps Playing For The Tigers On Opening Day

The Detroit Tigers have been building their roster mainly from within, meaning that 10 players on their Opening Day 28-man roster saw playing time in Grand Rapids with the Whitecaps.

The West Michigan Whitecaps are now in their second season as the Tigers "High A" farm club, after spending 24 season as their "Low A" team, meaning many Tigers have resumes that include a stop in Grand Rapids.

Two Names Getting A Lot Of Attention Have West Michigan Roots

The two rookies expected to contribute greatly to the Detroit Tigers success in 2022 played for the Whitecaps recently.

First baseman Spencer Torkelson, who won the starting job from legend Miguel Cabrera, saw action in 31 games last season for the Whitecaps, batting .312 with five home runs and 28 RBIs before getting promoted to the Double A Erie SeaWolves.

Outfielder Greene, meanwhile, is on the injured reserve list with a broken foot. He played in 24 games in GR for the 'Caps in 2019, hitting .219 before moving on up.

Utility infielder Harold Castro had two stints with the Whitecaps, in 2014 and 2014, batting above .300 both times.

Whitecaps Influence Is Heavy In The Bullpen

Five former Whitecaps are ready for relief for Tiger starters come Friday's opener against the White Sox at Comerica Park.

Gregory Soto, Joe Jimenez, Jason Foley, Will Vest and Elvin Rodriguez all spent time on the mound out at LMCU Field, with Soto going 10-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 2017.

Jimenez also performed well here, going 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 2017. He's also nicknamed "Jojo", which is a classy and smart thing to be called.

Two Starting Pitchers Will Try To Keep The Tigers Competitive Through Injuries

Injuries have hampered the Tigers starting rotation heading into the season, so two former Whitecaps will attempt to mind the gap.

Matt Manning, who has a 4-7 record in the big leagues, may get a couple of starts early on. He was 2-0 in five game with West Michigan in 2017.

Tarik Skubal is slated to pitch opening weekend for the Tigers, he allowed 0 earned runs in three starts for the Caps in 2018. Skubal was 8-12 last season for the Tigers.