More than a monument

If you haven’t visited Toni Stone Field (1221 Marshall Avenue) this past summer, then you haven’t seen its new addition greeting you at the entrance. On top of a pedestal, he stands at six feet six inches, cast in bronze with a bat slung over his shoulder, his gloves in his back pocket. The new statue captures more than just the likeness of baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, according to Joe Gallagher, a live event production executive at Doodle Productions, who spearheaded the effort to honor Winfield. It represents the journey of one of the great Minnesota athletes, whose impact has stretched far beyond the baseball mound, said Gallagher.

“To me, how he conducts himself and his life after baseball is just as Hall of Fame worthy as what he did on the field,” said Gallagher. “He just never really got the recognition that I think he deserves, especially in his hometown of Saint Paul.”

Now, that legacy has a permanent home outside Toni Stone Field, where visitors are reminded not only of his accomplishments but also of the path he forged for future generations of athletes in Minnesota.

Who is Dave Winfield?
Winfield was born on Oct. 3, 1951, in the St. Paul Rondo neighborhood. It was in these neighborhoods that he started his athletic journey, often playing with his older brother Steven, and attributes much of his early athletic development to growing up in this neighborhood.

“What made St. Paul different, and what helped shape me the most, besides family and our values, was the Parks and Rec department,” said Winfield. “People take it for granted that outdoor athletics and play were part of the city because yeah, we had a lot of fun, but it also had a major impact on me, and that’s kind of what St. Paul was all about. It was a special place to grow up.”

Winfield went on to compete as a multi-sport athlete at St. Paul Central High School and then later at the University of Minnesota, where he helped lead championship baseball and basketball teams and earned College World Series MVP honors. After graduating, he went on to be the only athlete in history to be drafted by four separate leagues: the MLB, NBA, ABA, and the NFL. He ultimately chose to play baseball, starting his 22-year-long MLB career with the San Diego Padres.

In total, Winfield ended up playing for six different teams: the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and the Cleveland Indians. During his career, he won 12 All-Star selections, seven Gold Gloves, six Silver Slugger Awards, and a World Series championship. After retiring from the MLB, he was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Beyond his success on the field, Winfield has a long history of philanthropy work. Starting in 1977, he created the David M. Winfield Foundation, making him the first-ever active athlete to have a nonprofit organization. The Winfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides educational scholarships, youth mentorship, and community support.

He also created the annual Winfield Awards program. They were also established in 1977 and were created to recognize students of color who have excelled in academics, athletics, and community service. He went on to win the MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award in 1994 for both his on-field success and his community service.

Winfield is an author, with his new memoir, “Touching All the Bases: A Story of Power, Purpose, and Surviving the Bronx,” set to come out Sept. 15, 2026.

“I got a lot of life in front of me, but my life thus far has been very unique, and although people think they know about my life because they’ve read so many stories, they don’t really know,” said Winfield. “I think that the memoir will inspire people and give them confidence to believe in themselves.”

Creating the monument
About two years ago, Gallagher, together with St. Paul’s Parks and Recreation department, Dave St. Peter (former Twins president and now team advisor), and Winfield’s family began fishing for locations for their vision: a bronze statue depicting Winfield in his batter stance. Robin Winfield, Winfield’s sister-in-law, pitched the idea for Toni Stone Field, the field Winfield grew up playing on. St. Paul’s Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez remembers meeting with Winfield and Gallagher at Toni Stone Field and deciding that Parks and Rec was going to take on the responsibility of funding the statue now and into the future through fundraising.

“It was important to get Dave’s off the ground to demonstrate a commitment on the city side that we want to, you know, recognize neighborhood icons,” said Rodriguez. “Showing young people and families that this is a person that grew up in the neighborhood down the street from you.”

About two years ago, after choosing a location and finalizing how the project would be funded, they next had to plan and create the statue itself. They first had to find a person or company that actually makes bronze life-size statues, and after some time they met Matt Glen, an artist who specializes in bronze monuments at Big Statues in Utah. Glen kept in constant contact with Winfield to guarantee that every nuance – his stance, his clothing, the way he held his bat – came across and came to life in the statue.

The creation process took months as it involved many detailed stages. To start, Glen’s team researched and took a look at many historical reference photos to develop a digital concept. Once approved, they sculpted a full-scale clay model, making sure everything looked perfect before creating molds for the bronze casting process. The statue was then cast in multiple bronze sections, which were then welded together, sandblasted, and finished to create a seamless sculpture. They then hand-applied patina to the bronze to enhance the statue’s appearance and protect it from future elements.

At last, the completed monument was sealed, then transported to Saint Paul, and professionally installed at its permanent location.

They didn’t just create a statue; they also told a story. A plaque was placed on the base of the statue, detailing Winfield’s life and accomplishments both on and off the field, something that Winfield himself found particularly impactful.

“The plaque, it had a lot of impact on me. The statue was not just built because I was an exceptional ball player; it shows the work that I have done, the service to others, the impact on the community,” said Winfield. “So that’s when I knew it, that this statue really had significance and importance to me, and so when all is said and done, it’s one of the most important things that’s ever been done for me. It’s a great honor.”

The statue was unveiled to a large crowd on May 30, 2026, at Toni Stone Field, commemorating the Hall of Famer’s years of sportsmanship and philanthropy. Winfield himself traveled to the ceremony, along with his family, and gave a speech at the event.

PLAN TO ADD FOUR MORE STATUTES
Winfield, though the first, is not the only one set to have their legacy honored at Toni Stone Field. The Hall of Fame plaza project has been expandedto include three other St. Paul Hall of Famers – Jack Morris, Paul Molitor, and Joe Mauer – and Toni Stone, the first woman to play in the men’s major baseball league.

St. Paul’s Park and Rec is currently in the process of raising money to fund the remainder of the project, showcasing one-of-a-kind MLB histories that began in St. Paul, and specifically, in the Rondo area.

“These are great stories in the fact that you know that these players all grew up in our park system,” said Rodriguez. “To see a statue in a park that you play in and say, oh, I could do that, or oh, he’s from our neighborhood. That’s very powerful, and I think it’s important to tell those stories for the future, so they don’t get lost in history. And I think it’s important to recognize those folks while they’re still here as well, so they can feel proud of what they accomplished within their lifetime.”

Alanna Voelker is a journalism student at the University of Minnesota - Duluth.