Many answers to frequently asked questions are available in the A-Z Gameday Info Guide section. Please check there if your question is not answered here.
Q: Will you send me a free fan pack?
A: The Whitecaps receive hundreds of fan pack requests each year. We do not have free packages of items for fans; however, we'll be happy to send you a pocket schedule at no charge if you provide your mailing address. We also may have magnet schedules or programs available during the season that we can provide free of charge if you send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with the appropriate amount of postage and in the appropriate size. If you are interested in receiving an autograph from a player and are not able to come to a game, you may send the item you would like autographed, plus a SASE, care of the player's name, West Michigan Whitecaps, P.O. Box 428, Comstock Park, MI 49321. Although we cannot guarantee that the item will be returned with an autograph, the Whitecaps players are generally very good about responding to fan mail. If you are interested in team card sets or any other type of Whitecaps item, please visit our online store at www.whitecapsbaseball.com, where we have a large variety of Whitecaps merchandise available for sale.
Q: How can I try out for the team?
A: The Whitecaps are a professional baseball team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, which means the Tigers make all player personnel decisions regarding the Whitecaps. The vast majority of Whitecaps players have been drafted in the June amateur draft out of high school or college; occasionally the Tigers will sign a player they have been scouting who was not drafted.
Although there are no tryouts or "walk-ons" specifically for the Whitecaps, the Tigers do hold several tryout camps around the Midwest each summer. For the past several years they have included Fifth Third Ballpark as one of their locations for tryout camps. These one-day tryouts are generally open to players from 17 to 24 years of age. Don't expect to be signed directly out of these camps, though - If you are one of the few who do catch the eye of the scouts, what they will do is add you to their list of players to scout at high school or college games for the next couple of years to determine whether they should draft or sign you.
If you are signed or even drafted by the Tigers, the Whitecaps are not the first stop on the road to the majors. You would first be assigned to the rookie club in Lakeland. Your next stop would most likely be the Oneonta (NY) Tigers, then the Whitecaps or the other Class A club, also in Lakeland.
The Tigers' 2008 tryout camp at Fifth Third Ballpark will be held on Monday, June 16. Time frame for the tryout camp is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.; bring your own glove and shoes). The tryout camp is for players age 16-25. For questions or more information on tryout camp dates and locations, call the Tigers' Baseball Operations Department at (313) 471-2096.
You can also try calling other major league teams or any independent league teams (such as the Northern League, Frontier League and Texas-Louisiana League) about tryouts. You can find phone numbers to major league teams at www.majorleaguebaseball.com; for independent league teams, try searching the Internet for "independent league baseball."
Where are the players from? Where do they live during the season?
Whitecaps players are from all over the country as well as the Dominican Republic and other foreign countries. Past players have been from Canada, Australia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and more. There are no advantages to living in the state of Michigan (in fact, only a few players have been from Michigan). The Tigers have an extensive scouting system in place to find the best talent possible around the world.
While in Grand Rapids, most players stay with host families in the "Keep-A-Cap" program. Similar to a foreign exchange program, the host families provide comfortable housing for players, usually offering home-cooked meals and sometimes even transportation. About 95% of all Whitecaps players have stayed with host families.
How do I join the Keep-A-Cap program?
Interested families should submit a letter detailing why they want to be in the program, what relationship they envision with the players and what amenities and living arrangements they can offer, to the Whitecaps Community Relations Department, P.O. Box 428, Comstock Park, MI 49321. Selected families will be added to the waiting list in case an opening is to occur.
What is the Rule 5 Draft and how does it work?
The Rule 5 Draft takes place each year in early December as part of the Baseball Winter Meetings. Major League Clubs may claim the contracts of eligible Minor League players.
There are three separate phases in the Rule 5 Draft: the Major League phase, the Class AAA phase and the Class AA phase. A player selected in one of the three phases must be placed at the same level of the phase in which the player was selected. Within each phase, only eligible players from a lower classification club are eligible for selection. For example, in the AAA phase, players must be selected from a club's AA or lower roster and must be placed on the selecting club's AAA roster.
Rules for player eligibility:
(A) If a player is 18 or under on the June 5 immediately preceding the player's signing, the player becomes eligible at the fourth Rule 5 Draft that follows the effective season of the player's first contract.
(B) If a player is 19 years of age or over on the June 5 immediately preceding the player's signing, the player becomes eligible at the third Rule 5 Selection Meeting that follows the effective season of the player's first contract.
If a player is released and then re-signed by the same club within a year, the player becomes eligible for the next Rule 5 Draft. A Major League Club may designate any player on one of its Minor League rosters to be subject to selection who otherwise would not be eligible.
The selecting club must pay the club from which a player is selected:
(1) $50,000, if the selected player is placed on a Major League roster;
(2) $12,000, if the selected player is placed on a Class AAA roster;
(3) $4,000, if the selected player is placed on a Class AA roster.
A player drafted to a Major League level must remain at that club for the duration of the season unless offered back to the team from which he was selected. Players drafted to a AAA or AA club should be offered an opportunity to remain at that level during spring training, but it is not required.