MAJOR AWRD: MiLB's CommUNITY Champion

The Fort Wayne TinCaps have won another major Minor League Baseball award. At Minor League Baseball’s Business Summit in Charlotte on Tuesday, MiLB announced that the TinCaps earned the 2024 CommUNITY Champion Award. Team President Mike Nutter and other staff members were in attendance to accept the honor.

This marks Fort Wayne’s fourth major Minor League Baseball award since 2015. In the last decade, out of MiLB’s 120 teams, from Single-A up through Triple-A, no other club has won more than two major awards.

Tip of the TinCap! 🍎 @TinCaps ongoing commitment to charitable support and local leadership has them recognized as this year’s CommUNITY Champion! pic.twitter.com/7mSvUB0U6L

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) October 8, 2024

The CommUNITY Champion Award recognizes a team that demonstrates an outstanding, ongoing commitment to charitable service, support, and leadership within both their local community and within the baseball industry. The TinCaps won this award in 2015 as well, when it was called the John H. Moss Community Service Award. With the award’s history dating back to 2013, the TinCaps are the first team to win the award multiple times. The 'Caps also claimed MiLB's Organization of the Year Award in 2016 and Nutter received the Executive of the Year Award in 2022.

The TinCaps, Minor League Baseball’s High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, were also national finalists this year for Best Retail Sales Strategy and Assistant Groundskeeper Bryce Ginder was a finalist for the Future Star Award for young professionals.

Nominees from each of MiLB’s 11 leagues were selected by their peers and were candidates for the overall awards, which were determined by a committee.

Earlier today our entire team volunteered to help @Change4GoodRM, a non-profit organization in Fort Wayne that serves those experiencing a homeless crisis. #PadresOnDeck pic.twitter.com/rlE9bdF3wi

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 24, 2024

“This is a tremendous honor for our great staff, our entire organization, and the San Diego Padres, who encourage us to do great things and require our players to participate,” said TinCaps President Mike Nutter. “We probably made the biggest community impact we've ever made this season, and this is all a true blessing.”

In 2024, the TinCaps’ community service efforts were highlighted by two team-wide days of service – one in each half of the season. In May, every member of the team’s coaching staff, 30-player roster, and front office staff members volunteered with The Rescue Mission, a local non-profit that provides restorative care to those experiencing a homeless crisis. The team served lunches, spruced up a residential facility for women, and helped haul and organize goods at the Treasure House thrift store.

In August, the entire team spent their morning at Fort Wayne’s Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum. They assisted with various manual labor tasks around the complex, like moving cinder blocks and wood, mulching, and cleaning the museum space. The players, coaches, and team staff also had the meaningful experience of meeting a Vietnam vet, who delivered a powerful speech to the group.

Both days of service continued the legacy of San Diego’s beloved late chairman, Peter Seidler, who was passionate about addressing the homeless crisis in our country. Meanwhile, the Padres have been known as the “Team of the Military” throughout professional sports since 1995, when they became the first pro sports team to establish a Military Affairs department.

The TinCaps players, coaches and staff had the opportunity to be a part of another @Padres Day of Service at the Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum. 🇺🇸

We are grateful for the chance to help beautify the campus, while also hearing powerful words from a Vietnam veteran,… pic.twitter.com/Rk2NwdkKzq

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) August 14, 2024

Meanwhile, in addition to annual ’Caps Against Cancer game in August whem the team wore jerseys designed by a local cancer survivor and hosted pediatric patients, the TinCaps also worked with Remedy Live, a local mental health resource center, as players vulnerably shared testimonials of how they overcome mental health struggles as not only professional athletes, but everyday people. On Mental Health Awareness Night, the team also provided in-ballpark exposure for several local non-profits, including Fort Wayne’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; Samaritan Dog; Sunny PATHH; and Great Kids Make Great Communities.

The TinCaps even used their alternate identity for good, as they rebranded to the Hoosier State Tenderloins for three games in June, which led Indiana Pork to donate hundreds of pounds of pork to the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana.

In an effort to reach out to young fans, the TinCaps hosted two free clinics for kids, and on nine Sundays, all players signed autographs for fans and took photos on the field. Midwest Box Breaks gave away thousands of baseball cards to kids as well.

It’s a special night at Parkview Field, as we welcome kids from the Parkview Pediatric Oncology Center! They are spending the evening getting a behind-the-scenes look at a TinCaps game, shadowing our staff. #CapsAgainstCancer pic.twitter.com/KlRmazhLUR

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) August 3, 2024

The TinCaps also had approximately 44,000 kids from 162 area schools enrolled in their reading program presented by CareSource, and had partnerships with more than 70 libraries.

On Military Appreciation Day presented by the Padres, Steel Dynamics, and Omni, the ’Caps hosted 10 military-supporting non-profit organizations and provided over 3,000 complimentary tickets to military families and veterans.

Over the course of the season, the team’s jersey auctions raised more than $25,000 for non-profit organizations. On top of all that, the team donated tens of thousands of dollars to dozens of local non-profits and helped even more with fundraising. Special programs included the O’Daniel Automotive Group donating for every home run the team hit. Additionally, the TinCaps welcomed more than 60 local non-profits to be their featured community organization of the game. Mascot Johnny TinCap made more than 50 appearances at events around the community, too.

“Our goal has always been to make Fort Wayne a better place,” said Morgan Olson, TinCaps Assistant Director of Marketing and Promotions. “We’re grateful that our players and staff share that objective, too. We can’t wait to see these evens grow even more going forward.”

The TinCaps are scheduled to begin their 2025 season on April 5. Season ticket packages are already on sale through TinCaps.com. Before then, Parkview Field will stay busy hosting special events, including a brand new Holiday Lights walk-thru experience, presented by Rohrman Automotive, Paul Davis, and Lear Corporation.