| Lakeland Flying Tigers | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Single-A (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous classes |
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| League | Florida State League (1960–present) | ||||
| Division | West Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Detroit Tigers (1963–present) | ||||
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(5) |
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| Division titles(2) |
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| First-half titles(1) |
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| Second-half titles(3) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Lakeland Flying Tigers (2007–present) | ||||
Previous names |
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| Ballpark | Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium (1966–2001, 2003–2015, 2017–present) | ||||
Previous parks | Henley Field (1960, 1962–1965, 2002, 2016) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Detroit Tigers | ||||
| General manager | Zach Burek | ||||
| Manager | René Rivera | ||||
| Website | milb.com/lakeland | ||||
TheLakeland Flying Tigers are aMinor League Baseball team of theFlorida State League and theSingle-A affiliate of theDetroit Tigers. They are located inLakeland, Florida, and play their home games atPublix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
The team was established in 1960 as theLakeland Indians, an affiliate of theCleveland Indians. After a one-year hiatus, the team was restarted in 1962 as theLakeland Giants, an affiliate of theSan Francisco Giants.
The franchise affiliated with the Detroit Tigers' farm system in 1963 and became known as theLakeland Tigers before becoming the Flying Tigers in 2007. The relationship with Detroit is one of the two longest unbroken affiliate relationships currently existing.[1]
In 1997, playing with the Tigers,Gabe Kapler led the Florida State League in doubles and total bases, and tied for first in extra base hits.[2]
In 2012, the Flying Tigers won their first FSL title in 20 years by defeating theJupiter Hammerheads, three games to two. It was the fourth league title in club history.[3]
In 2006, the team introduced a new name and colors to pay homage to the Lakeland School of Aeronautics, later the Lodwick School of Aeronautics. The school trained over 8,000 pilots between 1940 and 1945, some of whom later flew with theFlying Tigers inChina duringWorld War II,[4] and was actually located at the current site of Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.[5]
In conjunction withMajor League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Flying Tigers were organized into the Low-A Southeast at the Low-A classification.[6] In 2022, the Low-A Southeast became known as the Florida State League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.[7]
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Pitchers
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Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager Coaches
60-day injured list
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Baseball Hall of Fame alumni
Notable former ballplayers
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