West Michigan Whitecaps manager Andrew Graham coaches third base during Game 4 of the Midwest League Championship Series. (Photo by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler)

Andrew Graham, who managed the West Michigan Whitecaps to a Midwest League title this year, also won a ring with the team as a player.

Graham played 58 games with the Whitecaps in 2004 and 2005, when he was a catcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. The Whitecaps won the Midwest League championship in 2004.

“This one means a lot more to me,” Graham told MiLB.com. “I was a lot more involved than I was as a catcher on the [2004] team. Obviously they both mean a lot to me, but being my first year as a manager and being able to work with these guys all year, I couldn’t be happier.”

Apparently Graham misspoke, because this actually is his second year as manager of the Whitecaps. He led West Michigan to the playoffs last year, too — the team was eliminated by the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the first round.

The Whitecaps have won six Midwest League championship titles. In addition to this year, they won in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2007. They are the last Midwest League team to win back-to-back titles.

The six Midwest League championship trophies won by the West Michigan Whitecaps. (Photo tweeted by the Whitecaps)