CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians have announced 18 player programs for the 2023 season with 25 participating players giving back to the community. From A (Aaron Civale) to Z (Mike Zunino) players and staff are promoting several special community-oriented programs throughout Northeast Ohio.
It is the most intensive set of programs in franchise history and involves a number of widely varying activities. There’s a chess club, recycling drive, art class, cooking program and tree planting. Players will be involved with military veterans, first responders, schoolkids, and hospitals.
There are nine new programs for 2023 and nine more returning from previous years. There are also eight plans promoting the sport of baseball and playing the game.
Recently, shortstop Amed Rosario visited Cleveland Zoo as part of his “Amed’s Animals” program. Rosario interacted with the elephants and hung out with zookeepers and later met with students at the Zoo. They were collecting used electronics as part of an e-recycling event hosted by the Cleveland Zoological Society and MCPC, a data protection company.
“The Cleveland Zoo Society is so grateful for this partnership with Amed and the Guardians,” said Andrea Ponikvar, Cleveland Zoological Society Director of Development. “We had an incredible day sharing our Zoo and talking about the world-class animal care and conservation work happening here every day. We can’t wait to have Amed visit again!”
New Programs Abound
| Player | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Gonzalez | Bottle Caps for a Cause | The outfielder, with Ronald McDonald House and Pepsi, invites fans to collect bottle caps and can tabs. All materials brought to Progressive Field then will be recycled to benefit Ronald McDonald House and Gonzalez’s hometown. |
| Oscar Gonzalez | Dominican Republic Equipment Drive | He’s twice as nice. With this program, Oscar plans to host an annual baseball equipment drive in his hometown of Palenque, DR. Partnering with Pitch In For Baseball/ Softball and Planet Fitness, Gonzalez will then collect money towards equipment for youth athletes in his home nation. |
| Andrés Giménez | Art with Andres | The all-star infielder is in partnership with Augusto Bordelois of Augusto Fine Art. He will join an instructor and a group of 15 to 30 participants for a drawing or painting class. |
| Mike Zunino | Home Runs for a Cure | He’s new to Cleveland and already a partner with the Cleveland Clinic. They will donate to VeloSano for every home run he hits this season. Each month, the veteran catcher also will host a Cleveland Clinic Children’s patient and family, providing tickets, jerseys and food & beverage vouchers. |
| Cal Quantrill | Quantrill Cares | The right-hander and wife Eastin give to area youth in an off-shoot of their Letters With Love. |
| Xzavion Curry | True2U | The rookie, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Triston McKenzie, and Steven Kwan will mentor eighth graders at Valley View Boys Leadership Academy. |
Continuing the List Of Player Programs
| Player | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Amed Rosario | Amed’s Animals | The shortstop partners with the Cleveland Zoological Society and will spend time with animals in the Cleveland area. Seems like a dog-gone good program for pet lovers to monkey around with this summer. |
| Triston McKenzie | Friday Fireworks with Triston | The right-hander and the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Ohio will provide a group of local youth with tickets and meal vouchers to Friday Fireworks nights. |
| Josh Naylor | Cooking with Naylor | The power-hitter cooked up wins last year with his bat. This year, he partnered with Ronald McDonald House to cook meals for patients and their families in the Ronald McDonald House kitchen. |
| Zach Plesac | Plesac’s Pals | The right-hander is in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Ohio, CMSD and FirstEnergy. He will host activities centered around living healthy lifestyles and caring for the environment. |
| Cal and Eastin Quantrill | Letters with Love | He and wife Eastin are in partnership with Ohio Guidestone, SAFY of Cleveland and Smuckers for a second program. This one supports foster children through encouraging letters and group activities with youth in the area. |
| Aaron Civale | Pearls for Perseverance | The pitcher and his wife Fran will hand-deliver warm-up baseballs from each start to patients at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. The couple plans to play games and spend time with patients at the hospital. |
Continuing the List of Guardians Players Giving Back
| Player | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Terry Francona | Tito’s Military Salute | Terry ‘Tito’ Francona has partnered with SB Military Spotlight. The manager will purchase tickets, gear and meal vouchers for military families, enhancing eight Military Salute experiences at the ballpark. |
| Will Brennan, Tyler Freeman, James Karinchak, Trevor Stephan, Sam Hentges, Cam Gallagher and Cody Morris | Ready to Respond | In partnership with Wayside Furniture, Will Brennan, Tyler Freeman, James Karinchak, Trevor Stephan, Sam Hentges, Cam Gallagher, Cody Morris and others are visiting first responders in the area. They will invite first responders to attend games as well. |
| Steven Kwan, Triston McKenzie, Josh Bell and Bo Naylor | Guardians Chess Club | “Brainiacs” Steven Kwan, Triston McKenzie, Josh Bell and Bo Naylor, in partnership with CMSD and Homage, challenge CMSD high school chess clubs. Matches are held at Progressive Field and various schools. |
| Triston McKenzie and Steven Kwan | True2U | The young pitcher and outfielder, in partnership with CMSD, mentor eighth graders at Valley View Boys Leadership Academy (CMSD) throughout the entire academic year. |
| Andrés Giménez, Josh Naylor, José Ramírez, Myles Straw, Gabriel Arias, Trevor Stephan, and Shane Bieber | Youth Baseball and Softball Ambassadors | Andrés Giménez, Josh Naylor, José Ramírez, Myles Straw, Gabriel Arias, Trevor Stephan and Shane Bieber will support the team’s youth baseball and softball programming throughout the season. |
| Chris Antonetti and Sam Hentges | Cleveland Clinic Program | Team President Antonetti provides tickets, vouchers and gear for Cleveland Clinic Children’s patients and their families. Antonetti and Hentges will meet with them at batting practice during their visit. |
Community Programs
Swing for the Trees: Davey Tree and the Guardians will plant a tree in the community for every homer hit by the team at Progressive Field this season. Last year, more than 130 trees were planted as part of this program.
Ks for Kids: Dollar Bank will make a donation to Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio for every strikeout by Guardians starting pitchers this season.
Fun at Bat, presented by Ohio 529: All-star third baseman José Ramírez and the Guardians are in partnership with Ohio 529. They will provide introductory level bat and ball classroom instruction for Ohio K-5 schools. Character development, functional movement, literacy, active play and fun will be emphasized.
Division of Recreation Baseball and Softball, City of Cleveland: Oscar Gonzalez and Gabriel Arias are teaming up to support Cleveland Recreation summer t-ball, baseball and softball programs. The City of Cleveland Recreation Centers offer free leagues and instruction to all Cleveland residents.
Playing The Game
Play Ball! CLE, made possible by Cleveland-Cliffs: Cleveland Guardians Charities and local youth leagues have set a goal. That is to increase representation and the growth of baseball, softball and adaptive sports in marginalized communities. Leagues are eligible to earn grants after making a commitment to providing access and opportunity for youth of all ages regardless of backgrounds, demographics and accessibility needs.
Guardians Youth Summer Camps, presented by Cleveland Clinic Children’s: This program has the support of Andrés Giménez and Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Summer camps will provide boys and girls a week of learning, competition and fun at seven locations in June and July. In addition to unmatched instruction, attendees get a Guardians uniform and two tickets to a 2023 camp reunion game at Progressive Field. They also will have the chance to meet a past or present player and much more.
Promoting The Game
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and presented by Nike: It is supported by Andrés Giménez, José Ramírez, Josh Naylor, Myles Straw, Trevor Stephan and hitting coach Victor Rodriguez along with Nike. This MLB youth outreach program is designed to encourage academic achievement and introduce youth with diverse backgrounds into the game. It intends to increase the number of talented athletes playing college and pro baseball.
Senate Athletic League and Cleveland Metropolitan School District: Cleveland Guardians RBI rosters will be constructed with CMSD students. Through the Say Yes to Education grant program, students will be able to attend their choice of 100+ private colleges and universities in Ohio and across the country for free. Shane Bieber will partner with CMSD baseball and softball student-athletes to provide exclusive experiences to encourage participation.
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