TinCaps VP Keeps Franchise Running Year-Round
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot
The Fort Wayne TinCaps are in the middle of their first season in High-A baseball, an important rung in the San Diego Padres’ player development ladder.
COVID-19 led to a retrenchment of minor-league baseball teams around the county. Major League Baseball offered 120 Player Development licenses to franchises for this season, down 43 franchises from the 2019 season and Fort Wayne’s status was never in doubt. The success of the TinCaps on- and off-the-field only solidified the relationship between the Padres and its Fort Wayne affiliate. Indeed, the Midwest League itself moved up a rung going from a Low-A to a High-A league.
The key to a successful enterprise is having the right people throughout the operation who can handle a multitude of tasks and not just hit the mark, but exceed expectations. Brian Schackow is just such a person. As the TinCaps’ vice president of finance, he works with the management team to ensure the fan experience is an excellent one.
Q: Brian, share with us what your position is with the TinCaps and what it entails?
A: I handle things on the accounting and business sides as it relates to the TinCaps organization. Not a glamorous position as it’s all behind-the-scenes stuff, but one that I enjoy! I have some other things that I oversee such as merchandise, ticket sales, ticket office components and work closely with our team President, Mike Nutter. Our ownership group (Hardball Capital) also owns the Chattanooga (TN) Lookouts which is AA and the (Low-A) Columbia (SC) Fireflies. I’m the chief financial officer for those two organizations as well, which keeps me busy.
Q: Brian, can you illuminate how the TinCaps front office works?
A: We have a front office staff of about 28 people that put in quality work full-time all year round that I always try to make mention of as I speak to various groups and people about what my job is for the TinCaps. One of the things that seem to shock people is the various groups that all have a part in what makes the TinCaps. Groups like the sales team, outfield billboards, season tickets, group outings, promotions, and bobbleheads all take seven to eight months of planning to develop and make sure that our season is as successful off the field as well as on.
Q: Besides the price, one of the things that I feel makes TinCaps games so enjoyable is your “Fan Experiences.” Tell me a little about what goes into that and how you come up with some of those ideas?
A: We have a team of individuals that are constantly trying to come up with concepts and games to give our fans more than what they bargained for during games. We have two-and-a-half minutes at the end of each inning to do something to draw our fans into the game, so you’ve seen bat spins, t-shirts being launched, and human burgers being built as some things that we’ve done. Our fans may not always be “baseball fans” per se, but if they leave the game with a good feeling, then we’ve accomplished what we wanted to do.
Q: I would be remiss if I didn’t ask what your thoughts are about former TinCap, Fernando Tatis, who is taking MLB by storm right now as a member of the San Diego Padres. Are you surprised, shocked, or could you see this coming for this young man in the MLB?
A: I’ll say that we knew that there was something different about his approach towards hitting and playing while here in Fort Wayne that separated him from others. He’s just electric to watch, and when he comes to bat many of us stop what we’re doing and watch the monitors to see what he does.
Q: What are three things that you’d want people to know about the Fort Wayne, TinCaps if you could sit with them?
A: First, I don’t think that when you look at the players, that people understand how good they really are. They’re at the ballpark starting at 1:00 pm and hitting 400 balls off the tee, getting treatment, stretching, and doing positional-specific things to get themselves prepared to play every day. By the time the fans arrive to see the game the players have already been there for more than five hours.
Second, I want fans to understand the amount of planning that goes into preparing for a season in professional baseball. We are there as a staff for more than 80 hours a week getting ready. The positive results don’t happen by accident.
Third, we really enjoy being a part of the community. We feel like we’re part of the fabric of downtown Fort Wayne’s revitalization. We like knowing that we’ve played a huge role in drawing people back downtown and want to continue the great relationship that we have with businesses and the community as well as continue that swagger that we see in downtown Fort Wayne.