FEATURE: Developing 1,000 dreams

So far, 2026 has been a year of milestones for the Lansing Lugnuts.

Established back in 1996, the team is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season. On May 14, Lansing earned its 2000th all-time victory. And most recently, Griffin Kirn became the 1000th player in Lugnuts history when he took the mound in a relief appearance last Thursday night.

“We're here to develop guys and get them through to chase their dreams, and we're a hub for that,” general manager Zac Clark said. “And I think having 1,000 guys come through here just shows that Lansing is really, really on the baseball map and important to the development of this game and the continued growth of this game in our country.”

Clark said that hitting this milestone speaks volumes to the team’s ability to develop players.

“Everything that we've done has built this place up into a place where guys can really come and develop and grow and continue to chase that dream, which is getting to the next level,” Clark said.

After 30 years and 999 players, the Lugnuts are now part of Kirn’s journey.

“Obviously there's a cool history here, probably a lot of big leaguers have been through here, and it's just kind of cool to keep playing and be that 1,000th player,” Kirn said.

In total, 213 Lugnuts have played in Major League Baseball. Nine played in Lansing on rehab assignments, and 204 passed through while earning their way to the top.

Carlos Beltrán was a part of the first ever Lansing Lugnuts lineup when the team played its first game on April 5, 1996. Beltrán played in 11 games with the Lugnuts and went on to have a 20-year MLB career, earning American League Rookie of the Year in 1999 and tallying nine all-star selections, one world series title, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. Beltrán will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26.

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. played 71 games for the Lugnuts in 2017 before becoming a five-time all-star, two-time Silver Slugger and one-time Gold Glove winner in the MLB. Two-time MLB all-star Bo Bichette was also in Lansing in 2017, playing 70 games with the Nuts. And Carlos Zambrano played a season in Lansing before he won three Silver Slugger awards and was selected to three all-star games.

“It's really cool… to just kind of see where these guys came from and where they are now. … You kind of know what their story is a little bit more than the public, and it's kind of cool to… be in the same locker room as them,” Kirn said.

Clark said he is still hearing stories from people who came to games and saw players like Justin Verlander (playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps against Lansing), Corey Patterson and Beltrán.

“ If you love the game, and… these superstars come through here, it's so cool to get a chance to see ‘em now. …  That's just what it's all about, man,” Clark said. “You just never know. Like sitting here tonight, we don't know which of these guys is gonna be the next Tarik Skubal or whoever, right? We don’t know, and that’s the exciting thing.”

Pitcher Gage Jump was the most recent Lugnut to reach the pinnacle of the sport, debuting for the Athletics on May 26. Jump pitched in six games for Lansing last season before starting the 2026 campaign in Triple-A Las Vegas and getting the call up to the big leagues.

“He earned every single bit of what he got, and that is so cool,” Clark said. “That's the American dream. Whether you're a baseball fan or not, as an American, we can get behind that. And so just being here to see these guys go to the next level and eventually make it to the big leagues, it's a pride thing, and it's just so cool, man.”

With his promotion, Kirn moves one step closer to what he said has always been his dream; making it to the MLB.

“It's awesome,” Kirn said. “From working out and trying my best to make the big leagues, I mean, it's one step closer, and it's just a good feeling to have.”

Now at the next level in the minor league system, Krin said he hopes to grow as a player by facing better hitters and learning what it takes to get them out. And he said the Lugnuts can do a lot to help him do that.

“They're very analytical, and they do a great job in the weight room and all that stuff,” Kirn said. “It's just kind of growing up as a player and seeing what it takes to get hitters out.”

When it comes to the development these players get at this level of baseball, Clark said that it’s more than just learning the game. Clark said that athletes are still learning what it takes to be a professional, which includes learning how to train their bodies, how to eat and how important getting extra practice is.

“We're showing them that is what it takes, and they're still learning that, and they're still trying to process what it takes to be a big leaguer,” Clark said. “And not only a big leaguer, but what does it take to get to Double-A? And then now when I'm in Double-A, what does it take to get to Triple-A?”

For some, development might have an extra step. Clark said that a lot of these players are having to learn English and assimilate into American culture because they come from other counties.

“I think as natives to Lansing, maybe we lose sight of that a little bit and don't realize that some of these guys are in the States for the first time,” Clark said.

Clark also said that Lansing is good at getting its players involved with the community, something he said is important no matter what level the player is at. But it’s about more than involvement; Clark said Lansing teaches players to connect with the city's culture.

“They have to come in here, and they have to be a really important piece of the fabric of the community here, because our fans look for that,” Clark said.

Clark said it’s also about teaching players how to represent the city and the expectations included, a skill they will have to apply to each place they play as they move up the system.

“These teams in these communities, in these small towns across the country, in a lot of these areas, it's all they have, right?” Clark said. “And so you want the guys to be accepting of that and understanding of that, so we have to teach ‘em that.”