West Michigan Whitecaps Notebook: Week 4

After the West Michigan Whitecaps swept the Dayton Dragons in a three-game series to start the season, you can’t blame the Dragons for desiring some payback when the Whitecaps rolled into town on Tuesday. West Michigan’s series with Dayton kicked off a 12-game road trip, the longest of the season thus far for the ‘Caps. West Michigan welcomed back Izaac Pacheco from the IL, which added some depth to the lineup, but the Dragons made it clear that they weren’t going to go through another series without a fight.

GAME 1 Final Score: 10-0:

Facing 70-degree temperatures to begin the series, it proved to be a much more pleasant welcome for West Michigan than the last time they had traveled to Ohio to face Lake County. The Whitecaps started the series with that offensive push they’ve become so well-known for. Featuring multi-hit games from Peyton Graham, Luke Gold, Andrew Jenkins, John Peck, Josue Briceño, and Seth Stephenson, West Michigan generated eight doubles and two home runs as part of 14 hits overall on the day. Brett Callahan and Josue Briceño’s home runs were both their fourth of the year, and both Andrew Jenkins and Peyton Graham posted a pair of doubles. Five scoreless frames from Whitecaps starter Joe Miller notched his first win of the year and helped to carry the Whitecaps to a 10-0 win.

Josue Briceño crushes a 3-run homer to right center. It’s his 4th long ball of the year, and the Whitecaps lead 10-0. pic.twitter.com/sBAsZWstTy
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 23, 2025

GAME 2 Final Score: 5-2:

The script was flipped the following night with the Dragons facing West Michigan knuckleballer Kenny Serwa in his second start of the season. Luke Gold led a subdued West Michigan offense with his first three-hit night of the season, contributing to seven West Michigan hits overall. The Dragons dialed on Serwa, who had been all but untouchable throughout his first 11 frames of work. Dayton tagged Serwa for three earned runs over 1 2/3 innings of work, and West Michigan dropped their first game to the Dragons with a final score of 5-2.

Max Clark leads off the game for West Michigan with a single back up the middle. pic.twitter.com/k70GOs80EC
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 23, 2025

GAME 3 Final Score: 2-0:

West Michigan lefty Andrew Sears got the ball for game three and successfully worked five scoreless frames for the ‘Caps, but the West Michigan offense struggled to dial in. Finishing a combined 3-for-30 at the plate, Peyton Graham, Brett Callahan, and John Peck registered the only hits on the night for West Michigan. Despite a strong showing from Sears, a lackluster offensive showing forced the Whitecaps to their second straight loss to the Dragons with a final score of 2-0.

GAME 4 Final Score: 10-2:

Jump to game four, and just like that, the West Michigan offense resurfaced. Alongside five strikeouts and one unearned run allowed by West Michigan starter Carlos Marcano, the ‘Caps lineup combined for 13 hits, including doubles from Izaac Pacheco and Bennett Lee, triples from Abel Bastidas and Brett Callahan, and the third home run of the year from Andrew Jenkins. Peyton Graham picked up his first stolen base of the year, and Brett Callahan raised his overall RBI count to 17 as the Whitecaps powered through to a 10-2 victory, marking the sixth game this season with 10 or more runs scored.

Here’s West Michigan’s second inning: Andrew Jenkings solo shot to put the Whitecaps on the board, an Izzac Pacheco double, Jack Penney’s RBI single then Abel Bastidas’s RBI triple to score their final run of the inning pic.twitter.com/HAN332ocxc
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 26, 2025

GAME 5 Final Score: 5-4:

As we all know, you can’t have a Whitecaps series in 2025 without at least one game of extra innings. The offense was limited from both dugouts, with West Michigan and Dayton combining for eight hits for the day. A double from Seth Stephenson and Jose Briceño’s fifth home run of the year were the only two extra-base hits for the ‘Caps, and a sacrifice fly from Dayton in the bottom of the 10th was enough to lift them over West Michigan with a 5-4 win.

Josue Briceño waits on a breaking ball and pulls a 3-run homer over the wall to put West Michigan up 4-3. It’s his 5th homer of the season. pic.twitter.com/NxcNFpG7Js
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 26, 2025

GAME 6 Final Score: 9-3:

West Michigan looked to game one starter Joe Miller to close out the series finale against the Dragons, and Miller held up his end of the deal. Over four innings, Miller held the Dragons to one run, while walking one and striking out three. The Whitecaps offense was back to work, led by a three-hit day from Max Clark, Archer Brookman, Jack Penney, Andrew Jenkins, John Peck, and Seth Stephenson, all contributed multi-hit days for West Michigan. In addition to a pair of doubles from Peck, Seth Stephenson also booked his second home run of the year. West Michigan combined for 13 hits and a six-run eighth inning to give them a 9-3 finale victory.

From back in the top of the 1st, Seth Stevenson hits his second home run of the season, putting West Michigan up 1-0, which is still the score in the 4th inning. pic.twitter.com/PHMK5iCINl
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 27, 2025

Up Next: On Tuesday, April 29, West Michigan travels to Appleton, Wisconsin, for a six-game road series before returning home.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Jordan Marks

6’2 righty Jordan Marks was called upon three times during the Dayton series and got the job done. Marks allowed one hit over 2 ⅓ scoreless innings in relief, giving West Michigan a good foundation coming out of the bullpen. Mixing a fastball, slider, and changeup, the Ontario native was originally selected in the 8th round of the 2021 MLB draft. Facing an extensive battle with injury since the start of his professional career, Marks has reached a point to showcase what he may be capable of in contributing to the reliever pipeline.

Player of the Week: INF Jack Penney

Among multiple unassuming members of the West Michigan lineup, Jack Penney lets his play speak for him, which was reflected once again during West Michigan’s series on the road against Dayton. Over games four, five, and six against the Dragons, Penney posted three consecutive multi-hit nights, bringing his multi-hit campaign to five overall on the year. The 6’1, 190-pound product of Notre Dame hasn’t flashed a great deal of power to start the year, but his contact rate, a pair of doubles, and eight RBI have been a solid contribution to a strong West Michigan offense. Since last season, the 2024 5th-round pick has dropped his strikeout percentage by roughly seven points and raised his walk rate by roughly seven points. Scouts are uncertain as to how much projection his offensive power has, but in the meantime, his contact is becoming promising.

Sleeper of the Week: INF Abel Bastidas

As with many of the young international draft signings, the process of watching them develop is a lot of “hurry up and wait.” Bastidas, 21 is no exception. The switch-hitting infielder was acquired out of Venezuela as an international signing in 2021. At 6’2, 165 pounds, there is still a lot of body to develop. Seven games into his High-A debut, Bastidas has collected nine hits, four runs, a double, a triple, and six RBI for West Michigan. Projection-wise, he should develop into an above-average hitter, but there is still a good amount of swing-and-miss to navigate. With West Michigan, Bastidas is slashing .310/.333/.414 with a .747 OPS.

Whitecap to Watch: INF John Peck

Selected as the Tigers’ 7th-round pick in 2023 out of Pepperdine University, John Peck has continued to find ways to contribute on both sides of the ball for the Whitecaps. Listed at 6’0, 185 pounds, Peck has shown off some raw power offensively, including a career—high .159 ISO, posting five multi-hit games and adding a pair of home runs to start the season. With West Michigan suffering from multiple infield injuries to some of their key players early on, Peck’s availability and contribution have been valuable. Peck’s power at the plate projects out as above-average, but with his strikeout percentage running at a hefty 33.3 percent, this will need to be a focal point to stand out amongst the collections of High-A infielders across the system. Week Four Notes: The Tigers reactivated Izaac Pacheco from the IL during the Dayton series. No new updates on Kevin McGonigle’s return at this time. Although West Michigan suffered several hit-by-pitches, no extensive damage was suffered, just “some really big bruises.” I’m also told Josue Briceño’s early exit from last week was not injury-related.

GAME 1 Final Score: 10-0:

GAME 2 Final Score: 5-2:

GAME 3 Final Score: 2-0:

GAME 4 Final Score: 10-2:

GAME 5 Final Score: 5-4:

GAME 6 Final Score: 9-3:

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Jordan Marks

Player of the Week: INF Jack Penney

Sleeper of the Week: INF Abel Bastidas

Whitecap to Watch: INF John Peck

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By Emily Waldon