Monday, July 07

Like all Major League players, Zach McKinstry has a daily offseason routine to get his body ready for the next campaign, from strength and conditioning to hitting and throwing. Unlike a lot of players, he also has a routine to help strengthen the soul. 

Every Monday when McKinstry is at his offseason home in Arizona, he’ll serve meals at BBQ Mission, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that feeds unhoused members of the community. He has done this for the last five years. 

“One of my Little League coaches runs that, and I’m proud of it,” McKinstry said, “so I’ve been going down there every Monday in the offseasons in Phoenix to feed the homeless. It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s grabbed my faith a little bit and I’ve met a lot of really good people through it. … 

“Just giving back to the homeless, feeding them and just being able to spread the love of Jesus through a meal. We have prayer tents, come down and pray for them. You just build some relationships there, see familiar faces and get to know names, and it’s pretty cool.”

McKinstry doesn’t do it for attention, nor does he seek publicity for the work he does to help the NW Futures School of Development. 

“I’m supporting one of the kids that plays for the travel team,” McKinstry said. “I’m helping him get to and from practices and stuff like that. It’s a pretty cool experience. I’ve been able to go up to their charity events and speak and do some silent auction stuff for them.” 

The silent part seemed fitting until this week, when the MLB Players Association recognized his work by naming him their Most Valuable Philanthropist for April. According to the MLBPA, the monthly award goes to a player who demonstrates an altruistic spirit and positive impact beyond the diamond. It includes a $10,000 grant in McKinstry’s name, which he said will go to both of his causes. 

“I was super grateful,” said McKinstry, who also supports camps in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. “They’re giving me some money to give to the charities. That’s super awesome, very humbling for them to do that for me.” 

They also happened to announce the award on Tuesday, McKinstry’s 30th birthday. He’s one of the few thirty-somethings in an overwhelmingly young Tigers clubhouse. But between his hot start on the field and his incredible work off the field, he doesn’t feel old. 

“My soul still feels like I’m 12 years old,” he joked. 

Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter finished April with seven homers each, tied for fourth-most for the month in franchise history. Who was the last Tiger to finish April with more home runs? 

A. Miguel Cabrera 

B. Tony Clark 

C. Cecil Fielder 

D. Chris Shelton 

Triple-A Toledo: The Mud Hens saw their eight-game winning streak end on Thursday night in Worcester, Mass., against the Red Sox top affiliate. Tigers No. 7 prospect Hao-Yu Lee hit his second home run of the season Wednesday, a third-inning solo shot in a 2-1 win. Unranked prospect Wilkel Hernandez has an 11-inning scoreless streak, including five scoreless innings Wednesday. His three strikeouts included one against Roman Anthony, MLB Pipeline’s top position prospect. 

Double-A Erie: The SeaWolves entered Friday at 15-8, a half-game out of the Eastern League’s Southwest Division lead, after splitting the first two games of their six-game home series against Binghamton. Tigers No. 22 prospect Max Anderson has a nine-game hitting streak, batting 20-for-41 over the stretch with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Detroit's No. 21 prospect, Roberto Campos, hit his first Double-A home run in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Rumble Ponies. 

High-A West Michigan: The Whitecaps remain atop the Midwest League’s East Division at 16-8 after winning two of the first three games of their road trip to Wisconsin. Tigers No. 6 prospect Josue Briceño hit a three-run home run, his fifth homer of the year, last Saturday at Dayton and is tied for the league lead with 22 RBIs.  

Single-A Lakeland: The Flying Tigers climbed back to .500 on Thursday at 12-12, having taken two of their three at Daytona. Jackson Strong, a seventh-round Draft pick last year out of Canisius, hit his first pro home run Wednesday, a three-run shot in a 5-1 Lakeland win.  

D. Shelton hit 10 home runs in April 2006.

To subscribe to Tigers Beat, visit this page and mark "Tigers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Tigers or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.