Gulf Coast League Tigers
The Gulf Coast League Tigers or GCL Tigers are a minor league baseball club located in Lakeland, Florida, at Joker Marchant Stadium. A member of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, the Tigers are an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball either as draftees or non-drafted free agents from the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and various other countries.
| Gulf Coast League Tigers Lakeland, Florida 1968, 1995-present | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Rookie | ||||
| League | Gulf Coast League | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Detroit Tigers | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (1) | 2018 | ||||
| Division titles (5) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | GCL Tigers | ||||
| Ballpark | Joker Marchant Stadium | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Detroit Tigers | ||||
Starting with the 2016 season, the Tigers have fielded two teams in the Gulf Coast League, designated "East" and "West." The second team was created due to the cancellation of the Venezuelan Summer League, which left the Tigers with a roster full of players with no team. Most of these players were assigned to one of the two GCL teams, although some were assigned to the Tigers affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.
Roster
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Season-by-season
(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 27-36 | 7th | Wayne Blackburn | No playoffs until 1983 |
| 1995 | 33-24 | 6th | Kevin Bradshaw | Lost League Finals vs. GCL Royals (2 games to 0) Won in first round vs. GCL Marlins (1 game to 0) |
| 1996 | 26-34 | 12th | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 1997 | 31-29 | 7th | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 1998 | 28-32 | 8th(t) | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 1999 | 29-31 | 8th(t) | Gary Green | |
| 2000 | 34-26 | 5th(t) | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 2001 | 34-26 | 5th | Howard Bushong | |
| 2002 | 23-37 | 13th | Howard Bushong | |
| 2003 | 28-29 | 5th | Howard Bushong | |
| 2004 | 24-36 | 9th | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 2005 | 24-30 | 9th(t) | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| 2006 | 32-18 | 2nd | Kevin Bradshaw | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Dodgers (1 game to 0) |
| 2007 | 28-32 | 9th(t) | Benny Castillo | |
| 2008 | 27-31 | 12th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2009 | 29-31 | 9th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2010 | 29-30 | 9th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2011 | 29-31 | 7th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2012 | 36-24 | 1st(t) | Basilio Cabrera | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Red Sox (1 game to 0) |
| 2013 | 32-28 | 5th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2014 | 34-25 | 6th | Basilio Cabrera | |
| 2015 | 36-23 | 3rd | Basilio Cabrera | Lost in 1st round vs. GCL Blue Jays (1 game to 0) |
GCL Tigers East
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 21-37 | 16th | Rafael Gil | |
| 2017 | 14-45 | 17th | Jesus Garces | |
| 2018 | 26-28 | 10th | Luis López | |
| 2019 | 19-29 | 14th | Luis López | Playoffs cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian |
GCL Tigers West
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 30-28 | 7th | Rafael Martinez | |
| 2017 | 29-28 | 9th | Rafael Gil | |
| 2018 | 37-16 | 2nd | Brayan Peña | League Champions vs. GCL Cardinals(2 games to 1) Won in first round vs. GCL Red Sox (1 game to 0) |
| 2019 | 30-20 | 3rd | Gary Cathcart | Playoffs cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian |
