2006 West Michigan Whitecaps Roster
Team Record: 89-48
Finished 1st in the MWL's East Division
Manager: Matt Walbeck (89-48)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ballpark: Fifth Third Ballpark
Attendance: 356,155, Avg. 5,238 in 68 home dates
Playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps 2 games, Fort Wayne Wizards 1
Finals - West Michigan Whitecaps 3 games, Kane County Cougars 1
The West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League ended the 2006 season with a record of 89 wins and 48 losses, finishing first in the league's East Division.
The Whitecaps paced the league with just 492 runs allowed. West Michigan scored 620 runs. Michael Hollimon led the squad with 15 home runs Matt Joyce drove in 86 runs. Cameron Maybin topped hitters with significant playing time with a .304 average. Burke Badenhop paced the team with 14 wins and a team-best 2.84 earned run average, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Burke Badenhop, Anthony Claggett, Luke French, Michael Hollimon, Matt Joyce, Cameron Maybin, Will Rhymes, Dusty Ryan and Jay Sborz were all players from the 2006 West Michigan Whitecaps who played in the Major Leagues during their careers.
Matt Walbeck served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Averill | L | L | February 9, 1984 | 6'2" | 190 | Orange, CA US |
| Burke Badenhop | R | R | February 8, 1983 | 6'5" | 205 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Jake Baxter | R | R | November 9, 1983 | 6'5" | 210 | Arlington, TX US |
| Anthony Claggett | S | R | July 15, 1984 | 6'3" | 195 | Hemet, CA US |
| Pedro Cotto | L | L | May 26, 1982 | 5'11" | 175 | San Juan, PR |
| Jose Fragoso | R | R | November 12, 1984 | 6'0" | 170 | Santiago, Santiago DO |
| Loren Fraser | R | R | August 20, 1982 | 6'6" | 235 | Castro Valley, CA US |
| Luke French | L | L | September 13, 1985 | 6'4" | 220 | Salina, KS US |
| Ramon Garcia | L | L | October 30, 1984 | 6'2" | 165 | Yamasa, Monte Plata DO |
| Paul Hammond | L | L | September 20, 1982 | 5'11" | 205 | Mason, OH US |
| Mark Haske | L | R | May 28, 1983 | 5'10" | 165 | Fairgrove, MN US |
| Mike Hernandez | R | R | December 18, 1983 | 6'1" | 195 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Michael Hollimon | S | R | June 14, 1982 | 6'1" | 195 | Dallas, TX US |
| Matt Joyce | L | R | August 3, 1984 | 6'2" | 200 | Tampa, FL US |
| Justin Justice | L | L | February 19, 1985 | 6'0" | 180 | Winter Park, FL US |
| Josh Kauten | R | R | April 5, 1982 | 6'3" | 200 | Humble, TX US |
| Andrew Kown | L | R | October 7, 1982 | 6'7" | 210 | Marietta, GA US |
| Jeff Kunkel | S | R | March 11, 1983 | 5'11" | 200 | Olympia Fields, IL US |
| Jeramy Laster | R | R | April 5, 1985 | 6'1" | 185 | Nashville, TN US |
| Maxwell Leon | S | R | June 27, 1984 | 5'11" | 190 | Mexico, Distrito Federal MX |
| Lavon Lewis | R | R | December 17, 1983 | 6'4" | 205 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Cameron Maybin | R | R | April 4, 1987 | 6'3" | 215 | Asheville, NC US |
| Rafael Mendez | R | R | April 24, 1984 | 6'0" | 190 | Caguas, PR |
| Cory Middleton | R | R | October 3, 1985 | 6'1" | 185 | Pensacola, FL US |
| Phil Napolitan | R | R | January 29, 1983 | 6'1" | 185 | Page, AZ US |
| Matt O'Brien | R | R | August 10, 1982 | 6'3" | 215 | Royal Palm Beach, FL US |
| Orlando Perdomo | R | R | May 3, 1984 | 6'0" | 160 | Ciudad Ojeda, Zulia VE |
| Josh Rainwater | R | R | April 9, 1985 | 6'1" | 230 | DeRidder, LA US |
| Will Rhymes | L | R | April 1, 1983 | 5'8" | 170 | Houston, TX US |
| Joel Roa | R | R | January 2, 1984 | 6'0" | 175 | Elias Pina, DO |
| Ryan Roberson | R | R | August 1, 1983 | 6'5" | 240 | Silver Spring, MD US |
| Matt Rusch | R | R | May 20, 1983 | 5'11" | 180 | Rotterdam, NY US |
| Dusty Ryan | R | R | September 2, 1984 | 6'4" | 235 | Merced, CA US |
| Adriano Santos | R | R | September 8, 1984 | 6'2" | 170 | Bani, Peravia DO |
| Jay Sborz | R | R | January 24, 1985 | 6'4" | 210 | Washington, DC US |
| Ricky Steik | L | R | January 24, 1984 | 6'4" | 220 | Orange, CA US |
| Sendy Vasquez | S | R | August 10, 1982 | 6'1" | 160 | Hato Mayor del Rey, Hato Mayor DO |
| Gibbs Wilson | R | R | June 9, 1985 | 6'2" | 170 | Abilene, TX US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
