Blue Jays' coach, Henrico resident Budzinski named 2022 Paul Keyes RBI Award recipient

Former University of Richmond star and current Toronto Blue Jays first base coach has been named the recipient of the 2022 Paul Keyes RBI Award by the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the team announced Oct. 17.

Budzinski will be honored during Flying Squirrels’ Hot Stove charity event Nov. 10 at the Altria Theater in Richmond.

"I am honored to be named the recipient of the 2022 Paul Keyes RBI Award,” Budzinkski said. “Coach Keyes is an inspiration to me and many others in the Richmond community and beyond. I am thankful to so many who have helped shape my baseball career as a player and coach here in the Richmond area and look forward to assisting in the growth of our great sport across the globe."

The Paul Keyes RBI (Richmond Baseball Impact) Award is given annually in memory of the late VCU baseball coach Paul Keyes to someone who has made a significant contribution to the game of baseball within the Richmond community or from the Richmond community.

“Mark has an amazing track record in and around baseball for decades and has done great things at so many levels,” Flying Squirrels CEO Todd “Parney” Parnell said. “He is an outstanding person and exemplifies everything the Paul Keyes RBI Award stands for.”

Budzinski was an outfielder at the University of Richmond before being selected in the 21st round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians. He played 11 professional seasons and reached the majors in 2003 with the Cincinnati Reds.

Following his playing career, Budzinski returned to the Cleveland organization as a minor league manager in 2014. He led the Single-A Lake County Captains in 2014 before spending the next two seasons back in Virginia as the manager for the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats. In 2017, he was the manager for the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, an Eastern League opponent of the Flying Squirrels.

In 2018, he joined Cleveland’s major league coaching staff. Budzinski began his current role as the Blue Jays’ first base coach in the 2019 season.

Budzinski's 17-year-old daughter, Julia, a Glen Allen High School student, died in a July boating accident on the James River, and members of the Major League Baseball community rallied around the Budzinski family. The Budzinskis later established a scholarship fund in their daughter's name through the Henrico Education Foundation.

Friends and family also created the JB Sunset 5K race, scheduled for Nov. 5, to benefit the fund, which will be used to support students at GAHS.

The Flying Squirrels’ annual Hot Stove presented by Performance Foodservice raises funds for the initiatives of Flying Squirrels Charities, which focuses on education, athletics, inclusion and social determinants. Tickets and sponsorship packages are available now here.

The evening’s main program will feature special conversations with Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson, Virginia native and Texas Rangers interim manager Tony Beasley, Flying Squirrels manager Dennis Pelfrey, Flying Squirrels outfielder Jacob Heyward and more guests to be announced at a later date. Spectator tickets for the main program, which runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., are available for $25 online.