MLB Winter Meetings Auction to benefit Uvalde BGC
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SAN DIEGO -- For the first time since 2019, Major League Baseball has partnered with all 30 clubs and affiliated Minor League teams to organize the annual charity auction during Baseball’s Annual Winter Meetings to benefit a special cause.
This year’s charity was spearheaded by the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros and will go toward establishing a new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas, in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting.
“This past spring, we and baseball, like the rest of the country, were shocked, saddened, angered at what happened at the Robb Elementary School,” said MLB vice president of social responsibility April Brown. “But it's those times that we use the power of our sport to turn tragedy into action and to help the communities that we touch to heal. So we hope that this week's auction will play a small role in helping the Uvalde community recover, providing a safe and nurturing environment for the youth.
“Our friends at the Texas Rangers and the world champion Astros have been there from the beginning. Shortly after, they dedicated their time, and for this particular auction, they led the way, reaching out to all of our clubs to make sure that the experiences were first class.”
The Winter Meetings Charity Auction has raised nearly $2 million since 2012, benefitting multiple causes such as cancer research, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and most recently, for the five organizations leading the fight against ALS.
Rangers executive vice president of public affairs John Blake said that soon after the Uvalde shooting happened, the Rangers and Astros began discussions on what the two clubs could do to help out the community.
Paula Harris, from the Astros Foundation, and Karin Morris, from the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, worked in tandem for months to put together the auction, in addition to various other efforts that benefited the Uvalde community throughout the baseball season.
The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and Rangers ownership donated more than $100,000 to the fund established to support the families of the victims on the day that followed the tragedy. The club also raised more than $25,000 during the Mystery Ball Fundraiser at a home game.
Additionally, the Astros pledged a five-year commitment to Uvalde Little League, which includes new fencing around four fields, a new concession stand, new uniforms and field maintenance and upkeep, while also hosting multiple events with the families of the victors at Minute Maid Park and the Astros Youth Academy.
“The tragedy, the shootings, the mass shooting in Uvalde was an unspeakable tragedy, not just for the state of Texas, but for the entire world,” Blake said. “This Boys & Girls Club will help them heal. The little part that we can do, the Rangers Foundation has given time, they've given money, but this is something that the entire baseball community can do.”
“What's great about opening a Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde is it's something that will stand the test of time,” Brown added. “So if every year we can think about this auction as building a legacy project for a community that needs it or a cause that's important, then we really, as a collective Major League Baseball family, including our media partners and our community partners, are making a real difference.”
A number of special events and items are available for auction, including a meet and greet with Mike Trout, a personal bullpen session with Brady Singer and Jorge Moncada, VIP ticket packages and multiple exclusive autographed items.
Full list of items available:
Special Meet & Greets with baseball superstar Mike Trout, young rising stars (Andrés Giménez, Steven Kwan, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho, Christian Walker), and MLB Managers (Oliver Marmol, Dave Roberts, Scott Servais and Buck Showalter).
Experiences with today’s All-Star players and young stars
On-field catch and photo shoot with Jazz Chisholm (Miami Marlins)
Play MLB The Show ’23 with Josiah Gray (Washington Nationals)
On-field catch with Ryan McMahon (Colorado Rockies)
Infield lesson with Jose Miranda (Minnesota Twins)
Personal bullpen sessions with Jorge Moncada (Tampa Bay Rays) or Brady Singer (Kansas City Royals).
Special experiences with Hall of Famers, including:
Dinner with Harold Baines (Chicago White Sox) or Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia Phillies)
18-hole round with two friends and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez (Texas Rangers)
Win your own luxury suite at Petco Park (San Diego Padres) or have your child’s birthday party in a luxury suite at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros)
Ceremonial first pitch opportunities at Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs), Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds), Progressive Field (Cleveland Guardians) or Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
Incredible ballpark experiences, including:
VIP batting practice experiences at Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago White Sox)
Behind-the-scenes experience at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), including viewing the manager press conference, batting practice from field and watching an inning with Orioles General Manager Mike Elias
Kid can walk out the line-up card and also receive four tickets for his/her family on the “Green Monster” at Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
A full kids-only experience at Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels), which will include announcing Angels players over the public address system
Watch a game with New York Mets Owner Steve Cohen at Citi Field
Meet New York Yankees players following a behind-the-scenes tour of Yankee Stadium, which will include a special opportunity to hold artifacts from Yankees players past and present
Be the PA announcer for an inning at Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
Be a part of the grounds crew at PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Be a “balldude” or “balldudette” at Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants)
Watch batting practice from the field and receive premium seats at Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays).
Learn the Business of Baseball:
Be a team photographer with the Royals or Rays
Go behind-the-scenes and shadow the Twins Communications department, including a “white glove” archives tour, Rocco Baldelli media session, and watching game from the press box)
Shadow a department within the Oakland A’s of your choice, which can include baseball operations, broadcasting, business relations, the Office of the President, and others
Be a Rays broadcaster for the day, which includes Kevin Cash media availability, pregame media meal and being a part of the broadcast for two innings.
Exclusive autographed items:
Jersey from Matt Olson and World Series baseball from Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
Baseballs from Hall of Famers Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson (Baltimore Orioles)
A special National League MVP & Cy Young Award package featuring a bat from Christian Yelich and ball from Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee Brewers)
Unique Opportunities:
Receive up to five recorded greetings from Yankees players for any special occasion, including birthdays, graduations, baby reveals and more
Tickets to a Fenway Concert Series Show in 2023 (Red Sox)
MLB Ticket Packages:
2023 MLB All-Star Week in Seattle – tickets to all events at T-Mobile Park (All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, T-Mobile Home Run Derby, SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Celebrity Softball Game) as well as the MLB Draft. Package also includes an opportunity to watch batting practice from the field before the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
2023 World Baseball Classic – tickets to the semifinal and championship games at loanDeport Park in March
Minor League Clubs: Packages similar to the above have been donated by dozens of Minor League Clubs all throughout America, including:
The chance to have the Double-A Mississippi Braves’ ballpark named after the winning bidder for one day, complete with a groundbreaking ceremony and a ballpark logo featuring the winner’s name.
An MLB-authenticated game used baseball from the April 8, 2022, game between Single-A Tampa and Lakeland, where Tampa’s Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to manage an affiliated professional baseball game.
Dozens of opportunities to throw out a ceremonial first pitch, watch games from luxury suites and join radio broadcasters on the air for half of an inning.
Hall of Fame: An exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum archives, where you will hear little known stories about Hall of Famers and learn about the greatest collection of baseball artifacts in the world.
A full list of items and experiences can be found here.
The auction is live at mlb.com/wintermeetingsauction until Thursday, December 8th at 8:00 p.m.