Fort Wayne TinCaps Founded in 1993 Fort Wayne, Indiana |
|||||
|
|||||
Class-level | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current | Class-A (1993–present) | ||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
League | Midwest League (1993–present) | ||||
Division | Eastern Division | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Current | San Diego Padres (1999–present) | ||||
Previous | Minnesota Twins (1993–1998) | ||||
Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (1) | 2009 | ||||
Division titles (1) | 2009 | ||||
Team data | |||||
Nickname |
|
||||
Colors | Forest green, red, tin, black, white |
||||
Ballpark | Parkview Field (2009–present) | ||||
Previous parks
|
Memorial Stadium (1993–2008) | ||||
Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Hardball Capital | ||||
Manager | Anthony Contreras | ||||
General Manager | Mike Nutter |
The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Class A Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who are affiliated with the San Diego Padres, and play in the Midwest League. They won their first Midwest League Championship in 2009. They are the oldest franchise in the Midwest League.
The Midwest League came to Fort Wayne in 1993. The franchise is the oldest in the Midwest League and dates back to the league's beginning as the Illinois State League, starting in 1947 in Mattoon, Illinois as the Mattoon Indians. In 1958 the team moved to Keokuk, Iowa, where it spent five seasons as the Keokuk Cardinals; it was then based in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (1963–1983) and Kenosha, Wisconsin (1984–1992) before moving to Fort Wayne. The team was a Minnesota Twins farm team before they affiliated with the Padres in 1999. 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. The Tin Cap refers to a fictionalized depiction of John Chapman wearing a cooking pot as a hat in the 1948 Walt Disney movie "Johnny Appleseed," though this depiction has been disputed by historians. Chapman spent his final years in Fort Wayne and is buried in the city.