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Everything you need to know about Tigers' minor league teams' impressive playoff push

Nobody does it better.
ByKatrina Stebbins|
Erie SeaWolves baserunner Max Clark rounds second base on his way to scoring against the Chesapeake Baysox during an Eastern League baseball game at UPMC Park in Erie on July 18, 2025.
Erie SeaWolves baserunner Max Clark rounds second base on his way to scoring against the Chesapeake Baysox during an Eastern League baseball game at UPMC Park in Erie on July 18, 2025. | Greg Wohlford / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story mis-characterized the International League playoffs. That error has been corrected.

The Tigers' organization has an overall 415-276 (.601) record from Single-A to the majors this season, and the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, Double-A Erie SeaWolves, and the major league team all stand atop their respective divisions.

The Tigers are just days away from clinching the AL Central for the first time since 2014 and heading to their second consecutive postseason, but their Single-, High-, and Double-A teams are all also gunning for championships.

Down in Single-A, the Flying Tigers already beat the Clearwater Threshers (Phillies) to win the Florida State League's West Division and are leading the Championship Series by a game over the Daytona Tortugas (Reds). In High-A, the Whitecaps beat the Lake County Captains (Guardians) for the East Division title and are also leading the Midwest League Championship Series by a game over the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins).

The Double-A SeaWolves' three-game series against the Altoona Curve (Pirates) to decide the winners of the Eastern League's Southwest Division begins on Sept. 16. If the SeaWolves move on, they'll take on either the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) or Somerset Patriots (Yankees).

The Mud Hens do still have a chance to compete in the Triple-A International League playoffs which begin on Sept. 23, but they'll have to erase a significant deficit (they're currently tied with the Indianapolis Indians at .580, five games back of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees). They'll have to top the RailRiders to become International League second-half champions, winning one gigantic division, and move on to the International League Championship Series against the first-half champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins).

3 Tigers minor league affiliates are in the middle of or gearing up for playoff series

The two series that fans will really want to keep an eye on are the High-A and Double-A championships. The Whitecaps wrapped up their season with a stunning .702 record, the best the minor leagues have seen since 1994, and SeaWolves are home to the Tigers' three top prospects — Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceño.

Although it's improbable, the Tigers have the best shot of anyone in the majors at sweeping championship series from top to bottom. Even if they don't, it's still been a remarkable year for the entire Tigers organization, and one that proves the future looks incredibly bright in Detroit.

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