Current Detroit Tigers domestic minor league affiliate locations
The Detroit Tigers farm system consists of seven Minor League Baseball affiliates across the United States and in the Dominican Republic. Four teams are owned by the major league club, while three—the Toledo Mud Hens, Erie SeaWolves, and West Michigan Whitecaps—are independently owned.
The Tigers have been affiliated with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens of the International League since 1987, making it the longest-running active affiliation in the organization among teams not owned by the Tigers. It is also the longest independently-owned partnership in the team's history including previous stints from 1937 to 1939, 1949 to 1951, and 1967 to 1973. Among all teams, the longest relationship has been with the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Florida State League, who were affiliates form 1963 to 1964 before reaffiliating in 1967. Their newest affiliate is the Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League, which became the Tigers' Double-A club in 2001.
Geographically, Detroit's closest domestic affiliate is the Toledo Mud Hens, which are approximately 54 miles (87 km) away. Detroit's furthest domestic affiliates are the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Florida Complex League Tigers of the Rookie Florida Complex League, which share a facility some 988 miles (1,590 km) away.
Current affiliates
The Detroit Tigers farm system consists of seven minor league affiliates.[1]
Past affiliates
Key
1919–1962
Minor League Baseball operated with five classes (Double-A, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D) from 1932 to 1935.[2] Class A1, between Double-A and Class A, was added in 1936.[3] The minors continued to operate with these six levels through 1945.[3] Triple-A was established as the highest classification in 1946, and Class A1 became Double-A, with Class A through D remaining.[3] These six levels continued through 1962.[2] The Pacific Coast League (PCL) was reclassified from Triple-A to Open in 1952 due to the possibility of becoming a third major league. This arrangement ended following the 1957 season when the relocation of the National League's Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast ended any chance of the PCL being promoted.[2]
1963–1989
Prior to the 1963 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) initiated a reorganization of Minor League Baseball that resulted in a reduction from six classes to four (Triple-A, Double-A, Class A, and Rookie) in response to the general decline of the minors throughout the 1950s and early-1960s when leagues and teams folded due to shrinking attendance caused by baseball fans' preference for staying at home to watch MLB games on television. The only change made within the next 27 years was Class A being subdivided for the first time to form Class A Short Season in 1966.[2]
1990–2020
Minor League Baseball operated with six classes from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, the Class A level was subdivided for a second time with the creation of Class A-Advanced. The Rookie level consisted of domestic and foreign circuits.[2]
2021–present
The current structure of Minor League Baseball is the result of an overall contraction of the system beginning with the 2021 season. Class A was reduced to two levels: High-A and Low-A.[110] Low-A was reclassified as Single-A in 2022.[111]
