Twins are an Allan H. Selig Award finalist, advancing the “Girls Belong in Baseball” initiative

Major League Baseball has selected the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund’s “Girls Belong in Baseball” initiative as finalists for the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, the league’s top team recognition for social impact. The announcement sets up a fan-voting period designed to determine the most distinguished club community program this year, extending the Twins’ community footprint beyond the ballpark.

The Allan H. Selig Award is framed by MLB as its highest team honor for philanthropy, and the Twins’ finalist status places their outreach effort among the most recognized programs in the sport. “Girls Belong in Baseball” is the centerpiece of Minnesota’s nomination, tying the initiative to a broader mission of expanding access and opportunity for girls and young athletes in the game.

According to the Twins’ release, fan voting begins Friday, October 9, and runs through Friday, October 16. Fans can cast votes online through MLB’s designated voting page on MLB Together, with the results intended to help determine this year’s recipient. That one-week window turns what is often a behind-the-scenes area of sports operations into a public-facing campaign.

For the Twins, the finalist label is also a report of how their community fund operates as a long-term platform, not a one-off event. The Community Fund is built to support programs that create sustained participation and engagement, and the “Girls Belong in Baseball” initiative sits at the intersection of youth development, inclusion, and grassroots baseball culture.

MLB’s choice to elevate team-linked philanthropic programs reflects a league-wide emphasis on community impact during the season and into the fall. In that context, the Selig Award finalist round is less about on-field performance and more about measurable engagement and the ability of a club to mobilize resources toward community outcomes.

The Twins’ path to the award now runs through fan voting and whatever additional MLB process follows, since MLB’s announcement characterizes the fan vote as a determining element in selecting the final winner. With voting open for a limited stretch, the Twins’ next step is to mobilize supporters quickly and translate recognition into attention for the underlying program.

What to watch next is how MLB publicizes the voting results and the winner once the fan window closes. For the Twins and their community partners, the nomination itself can also provide momentum, since league-level recognition often broadens awareness and can increase interest in participation for future youth programming.