FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Not only is Fort Wayne native Andrew Saalfrank representing Northeast Indiana in the 2023 World Series, several other members of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers also have TinCaps connections.
In 2012, infielder Jace Peterson, catcher Austin Hedges, and outfielder Travis Jankowski led Fort Wayne to the Midwest League Championship Series. Now, Peterson and the D-backs are matched up against Hedges and Jankowski’s Rangers in the Fall Classic.
The TinCaps released the following:
Since Fort Wayne’s franchise was founded in 1993, there’ve been 219 alumni to appear in Major League Baseball. Of those, six have been on the roster for a World Series winner: left-handed pitcher Max Fried (2021 Braves); shortstop Trea Turner (2019 Nationals); right-handed pitcher Joe Ross (2019 Nationals); right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy (2013 Red Sox and 2014 Giants); third baseman David Freese (2011 Cardinals); and catcher A.J. Pierzynski (2005 White Sox). They’re about to have company.
“It’s so cool to see guys we got to know and love here go on to compete on the game’s biggest stage,” said TinCaps President Mike Nutter.
Saalfrank, a 2016 Heritage High School alum who went on to IU before being drafted by Arizona, played at Parkview Field multiple times with the Patriots in the Parkview Sports Medicine Baseball Classic. Meanwhile, D-backs executive vice president and general manager Mike Hazen was an outfielder with the Fort Wayne Wizards in 1999 (before the team rebranded to TinCaps in ’09).
Rangers associate manager Will Venable was a Midwest League All-Star outfielder with the Wizards in 2006. Nick Hundley, a catcher for the Wizards from 2005-06, is a special assistant to the general manager for Texas. Rangers reliever Matt Bush, a member of the Wizards from 2005-07, was on the team’s roster earlier this postseason, though is not active to begin the World Series.
Moreover, 13 D-backs players previously appeared in the Midwest League with other clubs, while eight Rangers are Midwest League alums. Both teams also have a handful of coaches and front office staff members with Midwest League ties. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was the skipper of the San Diego Padres when they played exhibition games against the Wizards at Memorial Stadium in in 1999 and 2001.
There were 62 former TinCaps and Wizards players in The Show during the regular season, and 13 made postseason rosters.
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