The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

and the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

affiliate of the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. They are located in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, and play their home games at

Parkview Field Parkview Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in the central business district of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. History Parkview Field was built as the new home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Midwest League affiliate of the San Diego P ...

. They won their lone Midwest League championship in 2009.

History

The

came to

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...

in . The franchise is the oldest in the Midwest League and dates back to the league's beginning as the

Illinois State League The Illinois State League (ISL) was a baseball minor league formed in 1947. The Illinois State League operated in 1947–1948 and evolved to become today's Midwest League. The Class D (baseball), Class D league was composed entirely of new franchi ...

, starting in in

Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon ( ) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Lake Land College and has close ties with its neighbor, Charleston. Both are principal cities of the Charleston� ...

as the Mattoon Indians. In the team moved to

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

, where it spent five seasons as the Keokuk Cardinals; it was then based in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (–) and Kenosha, Wisconsin (–) before moving to Fort Wayne. The team was a

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

farm team before they affiliated with the Padres in . When the team moved to Fort Wayne in 1993, it adopted a new name, the Wizards. The name TinCaps was chosen following the 2008 season, alluding to John Chapman, better known as

Johnny Appleseed John Chapman (September 26, 1774March 18, 1845), better known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario, as well as the northern cou ...

(1774–1845). The Tin Cap refers to the story (dating back to the 19th century), that Johnny Appleseed wore a tin cooking pot as a hat, though this depiction has been disputed by historians. Chapman spent his final years in Fort Wayne and is buried in the city. The team's home park was Memorial Stadium, opened in 1993; a franchise attendance record of 318,506 was also set that year. As part of the Harrison Square revitalization project,

became the official home of the TinCaps at the start of the 2009 season. To coincide with the new ballpark, the team held a contest to determine a new name for the Wizards once that new ballpark opened, and "TinCaps" was the result. The mascot of the TinCaps is Johnny TinCap. Previously, for the Wizards, it was Dinger the Dragon and prior to that, the Wizards were represented by Wayne the Wizard. The team won the

2009 championship by sweeping the Burlington Bees, 3–0. The first two games were played at Parkview Field and the final, decisive game was played in

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States ...

. The team and its staff were honored at Parkview Field in a special victory rally on September 18, 2009. In addition to winning a franchise record-setting 94 games in their new home, fans shattered the previous attendance record for the season, with 378,529 coming through the turnstiles. The TinCaps also clinched playoff spots in every season of Parkview Field's existence with the exception of 2016. In conjunction with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the TinCaps were organized into the

High-A Central The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Playoffs

Awards and honors

*2009 –

championship *2009 –

MiLBY Awards The Minor League Baseball Yearly (MiLBY) Awards are given annually to the most outstanding players, teams, single-game performances, plays, moments, homers, and promotions of the year. Initiated by Minor League Baseball in as the "This Year in M ...

"Overall Team of the Year"

All-time team

On August 24, 2008, '' The Journal Gazette'' and the franchise selected the all-time Wizards team members. * Manager ** Randy Ready * Catcher **

Javier Valentín José Javier Valentín Rosario (born September 19, 1975) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. From -, he played for the Cincinnati Reds after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays () and four brief stints for the Minnesota Tw ...

* First Baseman: **John Scheschuk * Second Baseman: **

Josh Barfield Joshua LaRoy Barfield (born December 17, 1982) is a former American professional baseball second baseman. He is the son of former major league outfielder Jesse Barfield. Barfield was born in Venezuela during his mother's two-week winterball visi ...

* Third Baseman: ** Sean Burroughs * Shortstop: ** Luis Rivas * Designated Hitter: **Josh Loggins * Outfielders: **

Torii Hunter Torii Kedar Hunter (; born July 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Detroit Tigers from 1997 ...

** Jeremy Owens **

Will Venable William Dion Venable (born October 29, 1982) is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He is the associate manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as an outfielder for the San Diego ...

Kevin Reese Kevin Patrick Reese (born March 11, 1978) is an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees in 2005 and 2006. After retiring as a player, the Yankees hired him as a scout. Reese is the d ...

* Starting Pitchers: **

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw r ...

LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Ro ...

**Tom Mott ** Mike Ekstrom **Gabe Ribas * Relief Pitchers: **J. J. Trujillo ** Dale Thayer

Roster

Former TinCaps/Wizards in the majors

Dylan Axelrod Dylan Davis Haines Axelrod (born July 30, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. At Santa Barbara High School Axelrod was the 200 ...

Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner ...

, Joakim Soria,

Nate Freiman Nathan Samuel Freiman (born December 31, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, baseball writer Tim Brown wrote, "Near as anyon ...

, David Freese,

Max Fried Max Dorian Fried ( ; born January 18, 1994), nicknamed "Maximus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the first round, seventh overall ...

Nick Hundley Nicholas John Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Ba ...

Matt Antonelli Matthew Antonio Antonelli (born April 8, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played with the San Diego Padres in 2008. He is currently a full-time baseball coach and host of a YouTube channel of baseball instruct ...

Josh Geer Joshua Brent Geer (born June 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. Amateur career High school Geer is a 2002 graduate of Forney High School. He was a fo ...

, A. J. Pierzynski, Michael Cuddyer, Wade LeBlanc, Corey Koskie,

Dirk Hayhurst Dirk Von Hayhurst (born March 24, 1981) is an American author and broadcaster, and formerly a professional baseball pitcher. Hayhurst played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres in 2008 and for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009. Followi ...

, Matt Lawton,

Brandon Gomes Brandon Gomes (born July 15, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current baseball executive. He played for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2011 to 2015. After his playing career ended, Gomes joine ...

, Mat Latos, Daniel Robertson, Allan Dykstra, Brad Brach, Matt Wisler, Corey Kluber,

Dan Serafini Daniel Joseph Serafini (born January 25, 1974) is an American former left-handed baseball relief pitcher. He was taken in the first round (26th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in the 1992 MLB draft. Early life Serafini attended Junípero Serra ...

, Mike Hazen, Miles Mikolas, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Sources

* Dinda, J. (2003)
"Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Midwest League"

TinCaps are champions
The Journal Gazette

References

External links

*
Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
{{Fort Wayne, Indiana Baseball teams established in 1993 Professional baseball teams in Indiana Midwest League teams Sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana San Diego Padres minor league affiliates 1993 establishments in Indiana Johnny Appleseed High-A Central teams