Tigers Minor League Recap – 9/3

Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A)

Final: Iowa 1 – Toledo 5 Final/7

Top Performer(s):

Trei Cruz, SS — 1-for-2, 2 BB, SB, CS
Jace Jung, 2B — 1-for-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB
Andrew Navigato, LF — 2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI

Tyler Mattison — 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Once again Tyler Mattison had a pretty good game. He was in the middle of facing his 4th batter when the game went into a delay, but again his fastball was getting whiffs (3 out of 8 swing) and getting unreal spin (averaging 2661 RPMs). It also once again allowed him to hit some elite IVB numbers with his final 4 being 20, 21, 20, 20.

Game notes:

The only Tigers minor league affiliate with a game today was the Toledo Mud Hens. West Michigan and Lakeland both wrapped up their series yesterday, bringing home championships. Erie is currently down a game to Altoona, who they had just played last week, in their playoff series and will look to tie it up tomorrow with Andrew Sears on the mound.

As for the Mud Hens game, the offense came out to get some hits. Riley Unroe and Tomas Nido were the only 2 Mud Hens to not get on base today. Meanwhile, Trei Cruz, Jace Jung, and Andrew Navigato got on base 2+ times. Jace Jung and Andrew Navigato both hit solo HRs, Navigato in the 2nd to give the Mud Hens the 1-0 lead and Jung in the 6th to increase the existing lead to 3-1. Navigato would drive in 2 more after Jung’s HR in the 6th, giving him 3 RBIs for the game.

Andrew Navigato launches a solo homer to center to give Toledo a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/c3xHQCWMK3

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 17, 2025

Trei Cruz upped his OPS on the season to .906 after getting on-base 3+ times in 3 of his last 4 starts. He has seen his BB% rise nearly 3% from what it was in AA, his ISO up 11 points. He’s got a 47.9% Hard Hit% and 10.7% Barrel%. Being a Rule 5 guy, he’s going to have to get some consideration to be added to the roster, otherwise he will be hitting for someone else.

Lael Lockhart got the start and win today. The only mark in his 5 IP was the solo HR he gave up in the 2nd. He struck out 3 and gave up 3 hits and 2 BBs.

Brennan Hanifee came into the 6th and pitched 1 inning. His velocity was down 1.5-2.5 MPH on all of his pitches as was his spin. Not sure if that’s anything to consider or worry about as he’s been up and down from the major league team, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Tyler Mattison got the 7th. He couldn’t quite get a full inning in, but that was due to a weather delay. Still, he had another really good outing as you can see above.

The rain delay would cause the game to end early, giving the Mud Hens win number 81 on the season.

Tomorrow’s projected starters:

TBD vs Austin Gomber (2-0, 0.56 ERA)

Congrats to West Michigan and Lakeland!

Great seasons for both affiliates end with championships and some well deserved celebrations!

🚨Flying Tigers Win!🚨

Logan Berrier gets a groundout to Chris Meyers and the Lakeland Flying Tigers are your 2025 Florida State League Champions. @ZachSurdenik on the call. pic.twitter.com/MMB08wj1RO

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 17, 2025

Manager Tony Cappuccilli accepts the Midwest League Championship trophy, and the West Michigan Whitecaps celebrate one of the greatest seasons in the history of minor league baseball. pic.twitter.com/mC8XKvun1c

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 17, 2025

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