Captains’ Isaacs pledges volunteer time in tweet

Away from the ballpark, the 22-year-old is a man of deep religious faith and a keen sense of humor.

THE SCORE WHITECAPS 6, CAPTAINS 2

Todd Isaacs is a proud native of the Bahamas and a professional baseball player.

Selected by the Indians in the 19th round of the June 2015 draft out of Palm Beach State College in Florida, Issacs these days is patrolling center field for the Captains.

In the opener of a fourgame series against the West Michigan Whitecaps on July 6 at Classic Park, Isaacs was 0-for-4 in West Michigan’s 6-2 victory.

Away from the ballpark, the 22-year-old Isaacs is an extremely personable young man of deep religious faith and a keen sense of humor. You can find examples of all those qualities in the posts on his Twitter account, @_TIsaacs10.

Isaacs also is possessed of a genuine social conscience, as witnessed by this tweet made at 10:25 a.m. July 5: “Anyone or any group in the East Lake, Euclid, Willoughby or Willowick area in Ohio that has volunteer opportunities please shoot me a DM! I would love to lend a hand!! @newsheraldinoh @LCCaptains”

When that tweet was made, Isaacs was in Dayton, in the team hotel, preparing to go to Fifth Third Field for the game between the Captains and Dragons.

This was more than idle chatter.

“Volunteer work is something I take pride in. It’s something I like to do when I’m back home in the Bahamas,” Isaacs said before the series opener against the Whitecaps.

When he’s at home during the offseason, Isaacs said, he’ll carve out blocks of time to visit schools near his home in New Providence and spend time with students. He’ll help teachers and administrators in whatever ways he can.

“I don’t have a lot of free time during the season, but I want to use my mornings a little more efficiently,” Isaacs said.

Hence the shoutout on Twitter.

“Volunteering is something I’ve wanted to do here though the course of the season,” Isaacs said. “I’ve been asking around this year, and I really haven’t found much to do. I put it out there on social media to see what feedback I’d get.”

As of July 7, Isaacs’ post had produced replies from United Way Lake County and My Inner Warrior, a non-profit that coordinates baseball programs for young people in the inner city.

Nothing has yet come of those initial replies, and Issacs is anxious to make something happen.

“Giving back to the community is something that makes me feel good about what I do. I want to use my platform to brighten someone else’s day,” Isaacs said.

Although he’s extroverted now, it wasn’t always that way.

“I was shy growing up,” Isaacs said. “Being comfortable with people was something I had to grow into. Now, it’s a lot easier for me to go into a room, sit down and talk with anyone about anything. I’m that type of teammate and friend. If there is anything I can do, I want to help.”

Isaacs said he’s at ease with people of all types and ages.

“Older folks, kids, whoever I can be with and put a smile on their face, I’m definitely open,” he said. “It can be anything from a food drive to playing a game or just having a conversation.

“Whoever has something out there I can help to do, let me know,” Isaacs added.

Isaacs