West Michigan Whitecaps Notebook: Week 5

After completing a six-game stand on the road against the Dayton Dragons, the West Michigan Whitecaps hopped a bus and headed north to Appleton, Wisconsin, to face the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Marking the last leg of their 12-game road trip, this series brought an opportunity for Max Clark to tie a career-high, Seth Stephenson continuing to hit home runs, and a chance to watch the improving health of Izaac Pacheco. West Michigan now returns home at 17-10 overall, a Midwest League East best and best only to Quad Cities (18-8) in the entire Midwest League.

GAME 1 Final Score: 7-4

Seth Stephenson and Izaac Pacheco led the West Michigan offense, each posting a multi-hit game against Wisconsin pitching to start the series. Stephenson extended his hit streak to four straight, adding his third home run of the year. Pacheco posted his first multi-hit night since coming off the Injured List, including his first home run of the year with West Michigan. Despite three runs allowed by Whitecaps’ Max Alba, Kenny Serwa and Trevin Michael were able to hold the Rattlers to one run over a combined five innings of relief, resulting in Michael obtaining his second win of the season.

Seth Stephenson sneaks a line drive over the wall in left to put West Michigan up 1-0 in the 1st. It’s his 3rd home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/SNN6sD2V0x

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 29, 2025

GAME 2 Final Score: 4-2

Game two featured a battle of the rehab assignments with a start for Tigers’ Beau Brieske facing Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff. Brieske worked a seamless single frame, striking out a pair, while Woodruff held West Michigan to one unearned run off three hits through 5 2/3 scoreless innings of work. Josue Briceño led a subdued West Michigan offense with his fifth multi-hit game of the year, but a 7-for-35 night at the plate for West Michigan handed the ‘Caps their first series loss against Wisconsin.

Josue Briceño just misses an oppo homer, but settles for a leadoff double in the 8th. pic.twitter.com/6zFcTxQlHP

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 30, 2025

GAME 3 Final Score: 6-3

Despite a quieter showing from the Whitecaps offense in game three, Max Clark still found a way to shine. The 20-year-old posted his first four-hit night of the season, marking his first four-hit night since August 14, 2024, and the second overall in his career. Clark’s performance accounted for four of the nine overall hits for West Michigan on the evening. The West Michigan bullpen stepped up, following three earned runs allowed by ‘Caps’ starter Carlos Marcano, holding Wisconsin scoreless through the next 5 1/3 innings. Two runs scored by Jack Penney and two RBI from Luke Gold contributed to a 6-3 West Michigan victory.

Bunt clip! Max Clark with a perfect bunt down the third base line. He’s now 4-for-4 with 4 singles tonight. pic.twitter.com/gEYBKePG7E

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 2, 2025

GAME 4 Final Score: 6-1

Wisconsin pitching gained the upper hand quickly against West Michigan in game four, combining for only one run allowed on the night, including seven straight scoreless frames. The performance from the Rattlers held West Michigan to 4-for-29 offensively, with a single hit from Max Clark, Jack Penney, Archer Brookman, and Luke Gold. The Rattlers’ offense worked over West Michigan pitching for six runs off nine hits, giving them a 6-1 victory.

GAME 5 Final Score: 1-0

If you were looking for offense in game five, it ran in short supply, thanks to a stellar evening from both West Michigan starter Joe Miller and Wisconsin starter Tyson Hardin. Miller struck out nine over five scoreless innings, while Hardin worked seven scoreless frames, also striking out nine on the night. Seth Stephenson and Izaac Pacheco combined for four of the six West Michigan hits, each generating a multi-hit campaign. Trevin Michael picked up his third win in relief as the Whitecaps came out on top in the pitcher’s duel.

Joe Miller sets a new career high with his 9th strikeout.
Excellent outing today: 5IP 3H 0R BB 9K pic.twitter.com/8b2W8q5axm

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 3, 2025

GAME 6 Final Score: 7-3

A combination of strong relief work from the Wisconsin bullpen, versus a challenging night for the West Michigan staff, did not produce the result West Michigan was hoping for in the series finale. Off the offensive highlights for the ‘Caps, Josue Briceño posted his fifth double of the year, Andrew Jenkins booked his first triple, and Jack Penney produced a pair of the six West Michigan hits for the evening. West Michigan starter Kenny Serwa and reliever Max Alba struggled, combining for seven runs allowed over five innings and resulting in a 7-3 Wisconsin victory to wrap up the series.

Up Next: Tonight, West Michigan returns to LMCU Ballpark to host the Lansing Lugnuts, before jumping on the road again for a six-game stand against the Fort Wayne Tincaps.

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Joe Miller

After booking 77 ⅓ innings with West Michigan in 2024, Miller returned for his second campaign for the Whitecaps this season. The Tigers’ 11th-round pick in 2022, Miller, a 5’10 lefty, has positioned himself as one of the most reliable arms in the Whitecaps rotation. Boasting a 1.75 ERA over 25 3/2 innings (also the fifth-best ERA in the Midwest League), Miller was fluid against the Wisconsin lineup, working five scoreless, walking one, and striking out nine. This marks the third outing without a run allowed for Miller out of six overall this season.

Player of the Week: OF Max Clark

Issue Max Clark a challenge, and he isn’t likely to shy away from it. Combining for six hits over the series against Wisconsin, Clark posted his second four-hit night of his career, marking his seventh multi-hit game this season and the second game this season with three or more hits for the 20-year-old. In addition to raising his 2023 average from .224 to .291, Clark has also raised his 2023 slugging percentage from .383 to .451. This is compared over the same number of 23 games and 86 at-bats in 2025 versus 85 at-bats in 2023. With the Tigers challenging Clark to walk more this season, he’s found a way to land atop the Midwest League (one walk above teammate Jack Penney) with 25 walks over 23 games.

Sleeper of the Week: INF Izaac Pacheco

Now fully healthy and back to work, Pacheco returns to the opportunity to show what he’s capable of this season. The 6’3 corner infielder is best known for his offensive power, which, due to limited health this season, has not had an opportunity until now to put that on display. Pacheco’s first home run of the season against Wisconsin was the perfect example of how easy that power can be. With his lifestyle change during the offseason and returning to camp much leaner than before, Pacheco is moving well and as long as his pitch recognition can remain sharp, there should be more of that raw power coming in his future.

Whitecap to Watch: OF Seth Stephenson

Since restructuring his offensive approach, Stephenson is once again grabbing attention. With more focus on maximizing his value on-base and less on an attempted home run every at-bat, Stephenson has ironically seen an uptick in his home runs to start the year. So much so that he’s now pacing for a career-high in home runs. Slashing .286/.394/.451 with an .845 OPS through 23 games, the 24-year-old is carrying a career-best in each category. While his usual stolen base numbers are running a bit low in comparison to the last two seasons, we should see an uptick sooner, rather than later.