| Lakeland Flying Tigers Founded in 1960 Lakeland, Florida |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | Advanced-A (1990–present) | ||||
| Previous |
Class A (1962-1989) |
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Florida State League (1960–present) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Detroit Tigers (1963–present) | ||||
| Previous |
San Francisco Giants (1962) Cleveland Indians (1960) |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles | 1976, 1977, 1992, 2012 | ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Lakeland Flying Tigers (2007–present) | ||||
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Previous names
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Lakeland Tigers (1963–2006) |
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| Ballpark | Joker Marchant Stadium (1966–2001, 2003–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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Henley Field Ball Park (1960, 1962–1965, 2002) | ||||
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Detroit Tigers, Inc. | ||||
| Manager | Dave Huppert | ||||
| General manager | Zach Burek | ||||
The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a minor league baseball team based in Lakeland, Florida.
Home games are played at Joker Marchant Stadium; opened in 1966 and renovated in 2003. The park, which also doubles as the Detroit Tigers spring training home, seats 8,500 fans. It plays in the Florida State League and has been the High-A affiliate of the Tigers since 1963, one of the two longest unbroken affiliate relationships currently existing.[1] Until November 2006, the team was known as the Lakeland Tigers, with branding similar to the parent club. However the team first originated in 1960 as the Lakeland Indians, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. After a one year hiatus, the team was restarted in 1962 as the Lakeland Giants, and an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
In 2012, the Flying Tigers won their first FSL title in twenty years by defeating the Jupiter Hammerheads, three games to two. It was the fourth league title in club history.[2]
Team name[edit]
The team's new name and colors pay homage to the Lakeland School of Aeronautics, later the Lodwick School of Aeronautics, which trained over 8,000 pilots between 1940 and 1945, some of whom later flew with the Flying Tigers in China during World War II.[3] The school was actually located at the current site of Joker Marchant Stadium.[4]
Notable former ballplayers[edit]
- Gabe Kapler, Outfielder
- Pat Underwood, Pitcher
- Justin Verlander, Pitcher
- Cody Ross, Outfielder
- Curtis Granderson, Outfielder
Current roster[edit]
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Lakeland Flying Tigers roster
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| 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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References[edit]
- ^ Hill, Benjamin. "PDC's make everything old new again, www.milb.com". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
- ^ http://www.theledger.com/article/20120912/NEWS/120919715/1002/sports?Title=Flying-Tigers-Scrape-Two-Runs-Across-in-The-Eight-to-Win-FSL-Championship-Series
- ^ Benjamin Hill / Special to MLB.com (November 13, 2006). "Article | Lakeland Flying Tigers News". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
External links[edit]
- Official website
- TigsTown.com
- Interview with the General Manager of the Lakeland Flying Tigers
- Baseball Reference - Lakeland, Florida
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