Noah Cardenas Named Harmon Killebrew Award Winner

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 8, 2022) - Noah Cardenas has been named the Mighty Mussels' recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award, the Minnesota Twins announced Monday.

Created in 2011 following the Hall of Famer's passing, the Killebrew Award honors a minor league player from each of the Twins' full-season affiliates for outstanding community service. Recipients are nominated by the general managers of the minor league clubs.

“Noah always greeted everyone in Fort Myers with humility and positivity, taking the extra time to interact with Mussels fans and staff members,” Mussels general manager Judd Loveland said. “He played a big part in our community initiatives and his leadership both on and off the field was evident.”

Cardenas also made a big impact on the field, serving as Fort Myers' primary catcher during their 2022 campaign. The UCLA product hit .261 with nine home runs and 43 RBI over 99 games, leading the Florida State League in on-base percentage (.421) and OPS (.834) by a wide margin.

“Every day, Noah connects with someone and goes out of his way to make someone else’s day better," Mighty Mussels manager Brian Meyer said. "He had an outstanding year on the field, but he pulled guys together in the clubhouse and was a central figure in keeping the atmosphere fun and energetic throughout the course of the season.”

Cardenas and the other Killebrew Award winners will be honored at Hammond Stadium prior to a Twins' Spring Training game in 2023.