The Lakeland Flying Tigers begin their 2024 season tonight.

This year’s Lakeland Flying Tigers squad starts its pursuit of another playoff berth in Dunedin against the Blue Jays. Last year’s club put together a spectacular second half to win the West Divsion. They produced two separate double-digit win streaks and posted a 44-22 record. And even their losses were fun.

Many of the players from that team return, including four members of our top-30 prospects, and ten players selected in the 2023 draft. Max Clark heads both of those lists, and last year’s third-overall prospect boasts one of the highest profiles in all of minor-league baseball. He’s sure to draw plenty of eyes to this year’s club.

And fans looking to watch Clark are in for a treat this year. For the first time, Lakeland Flying Tigers games will feature live MILB.tv broadcasts. And of course the Tigers Minor League Report account will be tweeting out clips from Lakeland all season. You can also learn a bit more about new Flying Tigers broadcaster Joe Puccio in the video posted at the bottom of this article.

Manager Andrew Graham returns to the helm in 2024. It’s his 6th year with the Flying Tigers and his 13th overall as a manager in the Detroit Tigers organization. Let’s take a closer look at his players this year.

Lakeland Flying Tigers Pitching Staff

RHP – Cam Brown, Thomas Bruss, Donye Evans, Pedro Garcia, Eiker Huizi, Zack Lee, Chris Mauloni, Hayden Minton, Patrick Pridgen, Yosber Sanchez, Luke Stofel, Cole Stupp
LHP – Joe Adametz, Joe Miller, Cleiverth Perez, Andrew Sears, Chris Williams Jr.
IL – Ulices Campos, Rayner Castillo, Cole Patten, Gabriel Reyes, Erick Rodriguez

Analysis – No Lakeland pitchers land on our top-30, but there are interesting arms here. The rotation figures to be some configuration of Adametz, Garcia, Miller, Minton, Sears, and Stupp. Miller posted a solid 3.93 ERA for Lakeland over 68.2 innings last year. Minton and Sears are 2023 draft picks heading into their first full years of pro ball, while Adametz and Stupp are members of the 2022 class who battled back from injuries last year. Garcia spent the bulk of the season in complex ball, but he did get a late-season cup of coffee with the Flying Tigers.

The bullpen boasts some high-octane arms. Yosber Sanchez is an under-the-radar prospect whose fastball averaged nearly 97 mph last year, and he backs it up with a slurvy breaking ball with above-average potential. And then there’s the fascinating story of Thomas Bruss. He spent the last two years in independent ball, but some big offseason changes led to him signing with the Tigers. And it didn’t take long for him to start making noise on the backfields this spring:

Signed in late February after spending the last two seasons in the independent Frontier League the Tigers Thomas Bruss showed some filthy stuff on the backfields Friday. Fastball sat 95-98 mph with r ide mixing a splitter at 86-87 mph and a gyro slider in the mid-80s. Pitched in… pic.twitter.com/zeDCYds8GR

— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) April 1, 2024

Lakeland Flying Tigers Position Players

C – Josue Briceño, Eduardo Valencia
IF – Clayton Campbell, Samuel Gil, Jim Jarvis, Kevin McGonigle, John Peck, Cristian Santana, David Smith
OF – Brett Callahan, Max Clark, Jose De La Cruz, Dom Johnson
IL – Bennett Lee, Sergio Tapia

Analysis – There’s a lot of youth and promise with this group. Josue Briceño posted outstanding production in 2023, and he’s been rocketing up prospect lists this spring. Hitting a 111.7-mph double in the Spring Breakout game didn’t hurt. He might not stick at catcher, but that might not matter. Meanwhile, catcher Bennett Lee is lauded for his defense and should come off the IL relatively soon.

The infield offers a fascinating mix of players. Campbell is a New Zealand native with a promising bat and no clear defensive position, while Gil offers impressive hitting ability and defense without much in the way of power. McGonigle had a terrific pro debut last year and has already landed on a few top-100 prospect lists. Santana is coming off two tough seasons, but the 20-year-old slugger still has worlds of potential. And Jarvis, Peck, and Smith are all well-rounded 2023 draft picks with defensive versatility.

Max Clark is the biggest name on the Flying Tigers this year. His pro debut was pedestrian, but Clark has superstar ability and he could be the face of the franchise in a few years. He’s joined in the grass by Callahan, who put up nice numbers last year and might make his way onto our top-30 list. It’s probably a make-or-break year for De La Cruz and Johnson. De La Cruz arguably has the best raw power in the organization, and Johnson is one of its fastest players, but the in-game production hasn’t been there for either.

What’s Next?

There’s a fascinating group of young talent waiting in the wings behind this Flying Tigers squad. The Florida Complex League Tigers boast a cadre of high-upside youngsters, including Carson Rucker, Paul Wilson, Blake Dickerson, Jatnk Diaz, and Andrew Dunford, among others. It wouldn’t be a shock to see any or all of them with the Flying Tigers by July.

For now the squad will prepare to face the Blue Jays for three games over the weekend. And then it’s time for the home opener next Tuesday, with Lakeland hosting the Bradenton Marauders for six games.