PAPILLION, NE (September 3, 2026) - The 2026 St. Paul Saints were a group of guys that gave back every chance they got. It was important for so many of the players to help out in the community, whether they were asked to do so or did it on their own. The man at the forefront of helping with those community initiatives has been doing it since the first day he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. For the second consecutive season with the Saints, and fourth time in the last five years in the organization, Noah Cardenas was awarded the Harmon Killebrew Community Service Award for Triple-A.
The 26-year-old Cardenas once again set the tone for volunteering during the 2026 season among an exceptional clubhouse of community-minded players and staff. Cardenas personally organized an outing to Feed My Starving Children, including both Saints players and front office staff. Additionally, Noah entertained patients with his authentic joy at Children's Minnesota Hospital's Star Studio, instructed youth baseball players at Saints Baseball Camp, joined local children's book authors at Saints' Reading Tree program, and contributed to Twins' annual Week of Service - this year joining teammates for a day of volunteerism at the new Wakan Tipi Center near CHS Field in St. Paul.
One of the more memorable moments was when the team was on the road in Omaha at the end of July. A parent reached out to the Saints front office and made mention how his son was at Children’s Hospital in Omaha and they were big Saints fans. The message was passed along to the team, and it was Cardenas who gathered some players, got signed bats and balls, and brought them to the Children’s Hospital, on the road, in Omaha.
Along with winning the Twins Harmon Killebrew Community Service Award with the Saints the last two years, he also won it with Fort Myers in 2022 and Cedar Rapids in 2023.
Below are a list of the Saints winners:
2021: Sherman Johnson
2022: David Bañuelos/Frank Nigro
2023: Tony Wolters
2024: Chris Williams
2025: Noah Cardenas
2026: Noah Cardenas