MiLB AWARDS: Clubhouse Manager and Groundskeeper of the Year

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne TinCaps head groundskeeper Keith Winter and home clubhouse manager Sam Lewis have been honored by Minor League Baseball. Winter is the 2024 Midwest League Head Groundskeeper of the Year, while Lewis is the 2024 Midwest League Home Clubhouse Manager of the Year. The winners were selected using the results of surveys of league managers, players, and executives throughout the 2024 season.

Additionally, one head groundskeeper from each classification was selected as the overall winner for their level of play, and Winter won that for High-A, which also includes the South Atlantic League and the Northwest League.

Out of Minor League Baseball’s 120 teams, the TinCaps are one of only five to have both their head groundskeeper and a clubhouse manager win this year.

“These individuals work tirelessly to ensure the best possible playing surfaces and clubhouse environments for our players and coaches, and their efforts are greatly appreciated,” said Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President of Minor League Operations and Development, Peter Woodfork. “We are pleased to honor them for their hard work.”

In October, the TinCaps were also honored by Minor League Baseball with the CommUNITY Champion Award, highlighting team’s commitment to charitable service.

“We’re so proud of Keith and Sam,” said Mike Nutter, President of the TinCaps, High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. “They’re truly deserving of these awards for how hard they work.”

Winter, 66, has been with the TinCaps since 2010 and previously garnered three Single-A Head Groundskeeper of the Year accolades. (The TinCaps moved up from Single-A to High-A in 2021.) Ahead of the 2024 season, alongside assistant groundskeepers Jake Sperry and Bryce Ginder, Winter oversaw a $1.2 million field renovation project that saw every inch of the ballpark’s surface changed to bring the venue into compliance with recently updated MLB specifications. On top of 66 TinCaps games, Parkview Field also hosts high school baseball games and other special events on an annual basis. The new field was put to the test immediately this year as the City of Fort Wayne experienced the rainiest month of April in recorded history.

Lewis, 26, started with the TinCaps as a bat boy in 2012 and became the team’s lead clubhouse manager in 2016. In recent years, the Fort Wayne native has earned opportunities working for the Padres and MLB, too, like during spring training and the Arizona Fall League. At Parkview Field, Lewis works with Hunter Sosenheimer, who won the Midwest League’s Visiting Clubhouse Manager of the Year award in 2022.

In recognition of their hard work, Winter and Lewis each will be presented with a trophy bat before a game at Parkview Field next season.

The TinCaps are scheduled to open their 2025 season at home on Friday, April 5. Season ticket packages and group outings are currently on sale, while single game tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 19. In the meantime, Parkview Field’s Holiday Lights are set to debut Thursday night. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit TinCaps.com/Lights.