Over five seasons, Joe Musgrove has become a leader on the field, in the clubhouse and most notably, in the community.

Since his debut with the Padres, he has committed to supporting several local nonprofits, both through the Padres and independently seeking out and supporting top local organizations like the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Emilio Nares Foundation. Joe’s heart is with youth, especially those facing adversity.

This season, despite a busy rehab schedule coming back from Tommy John surgery, Joe has continued to make a great impact on the San Diego community. Joe and the Padres Foundation together contributed $300,000 to fund a new Padres-branded playground and wiffle ball field at the Armed Services YMCA, which provides critical child care and after-school tutoring and mentoring for children from enlisted military families. Joe led the ribbon-cutting, tossing batting practice to the local military children.

The ASYMCA renovation and expansion will serve twice as many military families, offering critical support for the unique challenges they face, especially when one or both parents are on deployment.

Joe has supported the Armed Services YMCA before, including personally funding and shopping with enlisted military families during the Operation Holiday Joy event, allowing needy families to bring home a Christmas tree and presents for their children.

Having returned to his roots in San Diego, Joe attends many events year-round that focus on empowering youth to overcome challenges. One notable event is the Celebration of Champions with Rady Children’s Hospital, where childhood cancer patients, family members and players participate in an Olympic-style relay, passing the “Torch of Life” from one to another, symbolizing their spirit and determination to fight their life-threatening disease.

Another event which he supports financially and attends personally is the Padres annual Bikes for Kids event. Hundreds of second- and third-grade students from an underserved elementary school are surprised with new bikes to take home. This year Joe led the effort to give away the 100,000th donated bike in San Diego.

In 2023, Joe opened the Symbiotic Training Center with a clear mission: to share the routines, mindset and discipline of a Major Leaguer with athletes at every level, from middle school to the pros. Located in the Miramar neighborhood of San Diego, the 6,500-square-foot facility offers much more than just training. It’s a full-service performance and recovery hub, featuring physical therapy, massage therapy, nutrition coaching and more. Built in partnership with Joe’s longtime trainer, Jono Green, the center reflects Musgrove’s passion for giving back and creating a space where young athletes can learn what it takes to perform at the highest level, both physically and mentally.

Joe has become a passionate advocate for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, including a personal mentorship of a young baseball player named Landis Sims. Landis was born without hands and most of his legs, but has overcome tremendous obstacles to fulfill his dream of playing baseball.

Since meeting him, Joe has taught him several baseball mechanics, while they have taught each other meaningful life lessons. Joe went above and beyond, recently hosting Landis on a trip to Antarctica to break the world record for the fastest pitch ever delivered on that continent.

Joe has made time to play baseball with kids and young adults with special needs through the Miracle League of San Diego. Miracle League games are played on a special rubberized playing surface which allows for kids in walkers, wheelchairs and other disabilities to play the game of baseball. With the San Diego Miracle League field now 17 years old and in need of replacement, Joe once again stepped up as a lead donor along with the Padres Foundation to fund the new playing surface and other improvements.

Joe has accomplished many things on the field, including the first no-hitter in Padres history and series-clinching postseason wins for his hometown team. But he has made just as big an impact off the field, consistently demonstrating what it means to be a compassionate and committed community leader. In San Diego, Joe Musgrove is widely recognized as a hometown hero.