Fort Wayne TinCaps

History

The Midwest League came to Fort Wayne in . The franchise is the oldest in the Midwest League and dates back to the league's beginning as the Illinois State League, starting in in Mattoon, Illinois as the Mattoon Indians. In the team moved to Keokuk, Iowa, 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 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 (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, Parkview Field 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 Midwest League 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. 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's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the TinCaps were organized into the High-A Central. 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 – Midwest League championship
• 2009 – MiLBY Awards "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
• First Baseman:
  • John Scheschuk
• Second Baseman:
  • Josh Barfield
• Third Baseman:
  • Sean Burroughs
• Shortstop:
  • Luis Rivas
• Designated Hitter:
  • Josh Loggins
• Outfielders:
  • Torii Hunter
  • Jeremy Owens
  • Will Venable
  • Kevin Reese
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Jake Peavy
  • LaTroy Hawkins
  • Tom Mott
  • Mike Ekstrom
  • Gabe Ribas
• Relief Pitchers:
  • J. J. Trujillo
  • Dale Thayer

Roster

Former TinCaps/Wizards in the majors

Dylan Axelrod, Trea Turner, Torii Hunter, Jake Peavy, Joakim Soria, Nate Freiman, David Freese, Max Fried, Will Venable, Nick Hundley, Matt Antonelli, Josh Geer, Josh Barfield, A. J. Pierzynski, Michael Cuddyer, Wade LeBlanc, Corey Koskie, Dirk Hayhurst, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Lawton, Brandon Gomes, Mat Latos, Daniel Robertson, Allan Dykstra, Brad Brach, Matt Wisler, Corey Kluber, Dan Serafini, Mike Hazen, Miles Mikolas, Josh VanMeter, Fernando Tatis Jr., Matt Waldron, Tirso Ornelas, and Jackson Merrill

Sources

• Dinda, J. (2003), "Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Midwest League"
• TinCaps are champions The Journal Gazette

References

References

1. link. (October 29, 2013 Scout.com. 2 October 2008. Retrieved on 10 August 2009.)
2. Knapp, Horace S.. (July 7, 1863). "A History of the Pioneer and Modern Times of Ashland County: From the Earliest to the Present Date". J.B. Lippincott & Company.
3. "Archived copy".
4. link. (February 28, 2008 '', ''[[Fort Wayne News-Sentinel]]'', January 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-27.)
5. ''[http://www.harrisonsquarefortwayne.com/news/default/1/1/ Fort Wayne Wizards to Hold Re-Naming Contest] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-06-18 '', ''HarrisonSquareFortWayne.com'', June 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-19.)
6. "Fort Wayne TinCaps".
7. Watson, Dan, ''[https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-7378948 "TinCaps Rewrite Franchise Record Book"]'', ''tincaps.com'', September 9, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
8. Mayo, Jonathan. (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues".
9. (March 16, 2022). "Historical League Names to Return in 2022".
10. Mayo, Jonathan. (December 28, 2009). "TinCaps honored as Minors' top team: Padres' Class A affiliate posted .678 winning percentage". MLB Advanced Media, L.P.