Michigan Minor League Baseball
America’s favorite pastime is officially in full swing and Michigan Minor League Baseball is heating up for the 2022 season.
Catching a baseball game is a favorite choice for family outings, but not everyone can make the trip downtown to see the Detroit Tigers play at Comerica Park and tickets to a Major League Baseball game themselves can cost a fortune.
Catch a Michigan Minor League Baseball Game
If you’ve never attended a minor league game before, you’re in for a real treat. Minor league baseball games are part baseball, part non-stop entertainment. Fans are treated well here, and you can expect a lot of promotions and sideline entertainment, too.
At some stadiums, seating on the grass is allowed, too. Stretch out on a soft blanket and watch some fun baseball: a pure Michigan summer fun activity!
Luckily, Michigan is home to plenty of MiLB teams that provide the excitement and fun of a day at the park with the high caliber baseball you want to see. Here are some Minor League Baseball teams in Michigan you simply must see in action.
Find a Michigan Minor League Baseball Team
High A Central League Teams
The High A Central are part of the Midwest League, a Minor League Baseball League established in 1947. Three of the Teams in the High A Central call Michigan home, including the Great Lakes Loons, Lansing Lugnuts, and West Michigan Whitecaps. These teams compete with each other and other teams from states across the midwest, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio.
Great Lakes Loons (High A Central)
Location: Midland, MI
The Great Lakes Loons play out of Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan. They have been the affiliate team to the Los Angeles Dodgers since their conception in 2007. That means that the best players from this team are often selected to play for LA in the Major Leagues. Locals may be familiar with the radio station that carries their games (ESPN 100.9), but did you know the radio station even operates out of the team’s home stadium?
Lansing Lugnuts (High A Central)
Location: Lansing, MI
The Lansing Lugnuts are a force to be reckoned with in the Midwest League. They call Jackson Field in Lansing home and have recently become affiliated with the Oakland A’s in 2021. Fans of Michigan State may know that the Lansing Lugnuts have an annual tradition of taking on State’s baseball team in an exhibition match during the Crosstown Showdown Fall Fest.
West Michigan Whitecaps (High A Central)
Home: Comstock Park, MI
The West Michigan Whitecaps are the affiliate team to our very own Detroit Tigers despite setting up homebase across the state in Comstock Park near Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can see the Whitecaps play ball at LMCU Ballpark for all of their home games. Although they don’t have the highest championship count, their championship win was the most recent of the Michigan teams in 2015, so don’t overlook their skill.
United Shore Professional Baseball League
The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) is an independent baseball league which began in 2016 and operates out of Metro Detroit. USPBL teams play a 36-game regular season out of Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, but there are also specialty games, like the mid-season all-star game and end-of-season championship game.
If you can’t catch the games in person, USPBL has a YouTube channel which broadcasts the games live. Some select games are also aired on ESPN3.
Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (USPBL)
Home: Utica, MI
Starting off strong in their first game of the season, the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers beat the West Side Woolly Mammoths 6-4. This puts them in fantastic shape to play against the Utica Unicorns, who also started off their season with a strong win.
Westside Woolly Mammoths (USPBL)
Home: Utica, MI
Although the Westside Woolly Mammoths lost their first game of the season to the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers, you shouldn’t discount them yet. This Mammoth of a team holds their own and brings plenty of powerful players onto the diamond. An upcoming pair of back-to-back matches with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers will give the Westside Woolly Mammoths the opportunity to set a new pace for their season.
Eastside Diamond Hoppers (UPBL)
Home: Utica, MI
The Eastside Diamond Hoppers, like the Westside Woolly Mammoths, lost their opening game for the season. With their upcoming matches against the Mammoths, there is plenty of room to show us what they’re made of. This upcoming battle of the underdogs matchup is a must-see for any minor league baseball fan.
Utica Unicorns (UPBL)
Home: Utica, MI
The Utica Unicorns knocked it out of the park on their opening day, securing the win over the Eastside Diamond Hoppers 8-2. Fans of the Utica Unicorns await the game against the Beavers with baited breath to see who between them will remain the undefeated strong starter.
Northwoods League
While not technically professional Minor League Baseball, the Northwoods League is well worth mentioning. This collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league hosts players with NCAA eligibility. This means that they aren’t paid, but still play top-tier baseball. Their 72-game season is split in half in which subdivisions compete and determine an overall divisional champion.
Kalamazoo Growlers (Northwoods League)
Home: Kalamazoo, MI
The Kalamazoo Growlers were founded in 2013 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They play at Homer Stryker Field, located in Mayors Riverfront Park in Kalamazoo. Locals love the Growlers, and have affectionately nicknamed them “The Blues,” for the color of their jerseys, and “The 64s,” as a reference to the number of fluid ounces held in a growler. It’s the same reason the mascot, Porter wears the number 64 and that fan jerseys often rock that same number.
Battle Creek Battle Jacks (Northwoods League)
Home: Battle Creek, MI
Formerly known as the Battle Creek Bombers, the Battle Creek Battle Jacks were founded in 2007 andplay out of C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek. The Battle Jacks have had a known rivalry with the Kalamazoo Growlers since 2014 when the Growlers joined the league, meaning the Battle Jacks were no longer the only team in Michigan. The two teams compete for the coveted I-94 Rivalry Cup, named for each team’s hometown position along the I-94 freeway.
Traverse City Pit Spitters (Northwoods League)
Home: Traverse City, MI
The newest Northwoods League team on the scene in Michigan is the Traverse City Pit Spitters, founded in 2018. Cleverly named for the act of spitting a cherry pit, this team operates out of Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City, the Cherry Capital of the World. Though they are new, they are powerful, with as many Division Championship Titles as the Battle Jacks and even more League Champion wins under their belt.
PRO-TIP: Make a summer roadtrip our of seeing this fun baseball team in northern Michigan. Check out our guide to the Best Restaurants in Traverse City and be sure and stop in at a local brewery while your there!
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About the Author-
Bella DiMascio is a Content Editor for mymichiganbeach.com. She grew up in the Detroit suburb of Westland. She later attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo where she majored in Communication Studies and minored in English: Writing. Creative writing has been a hobby and interest of Bella’s since she was in elementary school. She is thrilled to be use her talents to highlight the Great Lakes State. Outside of writing, Bella enjoys getting outside with her two Australian Shepherds, playing video games, and binging shows on Netflix.
