Minor League Baseball’s 2026 award slate put the spotlight on the people and clubs doing the long work beyond the foul lines: opening ballparks, building staffs, filling stands and carrying baseball into their communities. The Richmond Flying Squirrels took the top Organization of the Year honor after a landmark first season at CarMax Park, while Asheville Tourists president Brian DeWine was named Executive of the Year.
The result
Richmond, the San Francisco Giants’ Double-A affiliate, turned the opening of CarMax Park into a franchise-changing year. The Flying Squirrels drew a club-record 468,961 fans, leading Double-A in both total and average attendance for a fifth straight season.
The club’s business growth followed the crowd through the gates. Ticket revenue climbed 329 percent from 2025, partnership revenue rose 658 percent and retail sales increased 68 percent. Richmond had spent decades working through proposals and negotiations for a new home, and the 2026 opening finally delivered the ballpark the franchise had pursued.
President Brendon Porter, chief operating officer Ben Rothrock, general manager Anthony Oppermann and senior adviser Todd “Parney” Parnell oversaw a staff expansion that has doubled the front office over the past five years. The club added 24 full-time employees in 2026, while more than one-third of the staff has remained with the organization for at least five years.
Rothrock said the recognition belonged to the entire operation, from the CarMax Park opening to the club’s work around Richmond. He called the season a remarkable one and said the organization intends to keep building on its momentum.
The Flying Squirrels also directed nearly $100,000, alongside Flying Squirrels Charities and Gilbane Building Company, toward upgrades at Richmond Public Schools baseball and softball facilities. The organization helped launch an elementary baseball program at eight schools with Richmond Public Schools and the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League, supplying uniforms and support for coaches and umpires.
Its Go Nuts For Reading program reaches 68,000 students each year. The club also supports scholarship programs and local diversity and inclusion efforts.
| Classification | Organization of the Year | MLB affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Triple-A | Toledo Mud Hens | Detroit Tigers |
| Double-A | Richmond Flying Squirrels | San Francisco Giants |
| High-A | Vancouver Canadians | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Single-A | Ontario Tower Buzzers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
Asheville’s long renovation season
DeWine, who has led the Houston Astros’ High-A Tourists since 2010, guided Asheville through the transformation of historic McCormick Field into HomeTrust Park. The renovation took shape over two offseasons and through the 2025 season, a difficult stretch that also included disruption from Hurricane Helene.
His effort to secure $40 million for the project helped keep professional baseball in Asheville while preserving the feel of the old yard and bringing the facility up to current standards. The response in 2026 was immediate: 192,472 fans attended Tourists games, the largest single-season total in Asheville’s 102-year professional baseball history and an 18 percent jump from 2025.
The club also reported a substantial rise in overall revenue. On the fan-experience side, the Tourists added promotional dates such as dollar hot dog nights, scheduled additional fireworks shows, introduced another mascot and made admission free for children under five.
DeWine, a Clemson marketing graduate who later earned a master’s degree in sport management from Ohio State, credited the staff that saw the project through. He singled out his wife, Kali, the club’s merchandise manager, and general manager Larry Hawkins, who stayed at the ballpark through winter construction even when the building had neither heat nor power.
“This really has been a five-year project,” DeWine said, describing the push to finish the renovation and retain baseball in Asheville.
| Classification | Executive of the Year | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Triple-A | Dan Mason | Rochester Red Wings |
| Double-A | Matt Hamilton | Wichita Wind Surge |
| High-A | Brian DeWine | Asheville Tourists |
| Single-A | Michelle Skinner | Fayetteville Woodpeckers |
A young sales leader in Sacramento
Kallie Harding of the Sacramento River Cats received the Future Star Award, honoring a top executive age 25 or younger. Since arriving in January, Harding has reshaped the club’s first-year CATalyst sales program.
She inherited an 11-person group and expanded it to 14 representatives. That team produced nearly one-quarter of the River Cats’ total revenue in 2026 and generated five times the revenue of the 2025 CATalyst group while selling across four properties: the Athletics, River Cats, Banana Ball and Cosmic Baseball.
Seven of the original 11 CATalyst representatives earned full-time promotions with the River Cats. Harding rebuilt the onboarding process, designed a yearlong training plan and led seven monthly sessions touching on meeting skills, business-to-business sales and personal branding. She also joined representatives in live client meetings and will now lead the club’s Lead Off program, which connects veteran salespeople with incoming CATalyst representatives.
Her recruiting efforts included events at Sacramento State University and William Jessup University, plus a TeamWork Online Bay Area gathering that resulted in direct hires. The Athletics selected Harding as their only representative for the MLB Women in Ticketing Mentorship Program.
Former CATalyst representative Kyle Coates, now a full-time River Cats employee, said Harding pushed him to improve, recognized his successes and supported his career growth. River Cats president and chief operating officer Chip Maxson said her arrival raised expectations throughout the sales department.
Erie’s work off the field
The Erie SeaWolves, the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate, earned the MiLB Together Award after another broad community-service season. Through its Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, the club provides more than $250,000 annually in cash and in-kind assistance to regional causes, including youth baseball and softball, education and wellness programs.
In 2026, Erie donated more than 10,000 tickets to veterans, first responders, educators and nonprofit volunteers. Mascot C. Wolf visited 40 schools and reached more than 25,000 students through programs centered on reading, character, nutrition and physical activity.
The club’s new C.A.R.E. Week — Clean, Assist, Recognize, Educate — sent staff and players into the community for hands-on projects. Their work included a Habitat for Humanity build, outreach to veterans, school programming and food-bank meal packing. The SeaWolves logged more than 60 volunteer hours during their final homestand alone.
The inaugural SeaWolves Community Fund Golf Classic raised nearly $6,000. Three jersey auctions brought in more than $25,000 for local charities, while the club continued backing the Chace Numata Scholarship, established in memory of the former SeaWolves catcher. That scholarship has awarded more than $11,500 to college-bound students.
Erie supports 15 local youth sports programs, operates ticket fundraisers, hosts a free MLB Players Alumni Association Legends for Youth Clinic and serves as lead sponsor of the Miracle League of Erie County. UPMC Park also hosted the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, NAMIWalks, a charity softball game for first responders and a mental-health movie night. The club’s Sensory-Friendly Day includes reduced stimulation and a complimentary sensory-break suite for families.
The SeaWolves also highlighted The Untold Story of C. Wolf, written by autistic college student and Wolfpack member Kevin Coleman. More than 1,000 copies have been sold, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Society of Northwest Pennsylvania. The project has also given Coleman opportunities to develop communication skills through interviews and book signings.
Community affairs coordinator Kyle Anderson said the award carried particular meaning because of the service work being done throughout Minor League Baseball.
Knoxville keeps the Knox Giants story in the game
The Knoxville Smokies, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, received the Driving Diversity Forward Award for their continuing Knox Giants initiative. The program honors the Knox Giants, a Negro League club and an important part of Knoxville’s Black history.
When Covenant Health Park was built, Giants Landing was incorporated into the ballpark as a permanent connection to that history. The Smokies began working with the Beck Cultural Exchange Center during the 2025 season, then formally introduced the Knox Giants identity at the Eighth of August Jubilee, East Tennessee’s annual observance celebrating African American history, culture and Emancipation Day.
The 2026 version grew beyond a one-night promotion. A pregame program brought together civic leaders, performers, honorees and fans, with a VIP reception and formal presentation attended by Beck Cultural Exchange Center leadership, Knoxville mayor Indya Kincannon, Knox County commissioner Damon Rawls and other community representatives.
The evening included Heritage Honor recognition, a musical salute to Ida P. Cox and the unveiling of the Beck Cultural Corridor. Austin-East High School’s band and dancers performed at the park. Kincannon addressed the crowd, mayor Daniel T. Brown threw a ceremonial first pitch, and prior Heritage Honor recipients the Rev. Dr. Harold Middlebrook and the Oak Ridge Bombers, a local Negro League team from 1948, were recognized on the field.
Knox Giants Night drew 6,167 fans, including 1,041 guests admitted through donated tickets for community members and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. A game-worn jersey auction raised $1,783 for the center, with all proceeds directed there. Knox Giants merchandise generated $6,414 in sales.
Smokies general manager Tim Volk said the event gave Knoxville a meaningful chance to celebrate both its history and its diversity, and credited the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and Reverend Reneé Kesler for making the work possible.
