Every time Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Ryan Vilade takes the field, he wears a custom wristband that reads Keeper of the Game — a personal reminder of children who cannot play the sport he built his career on. Now in his 10th season of professional baseball, Vilade has spent that entire run tying his on-field identity to a nonprofit his father started more than a decade ago, one that now reaches into Tampa Bay's own special needs community.
The foundation is called the Keeper of the Game Foundation, and according to Tampa Bay 28, Vilade has said his father, James, created it in 2014. James Vilade was a baseball coach, and Ryan has credited him with inspiring his own love of the game. Ryan has also said his parents wanted to help people with special needs in the community, a mission that now plays out on the field at Tropicana Field through a Rays program called Magic Mondays.
How Magic Mondays Brings Local Leagues to the Ballpark
Magic Mondays, which takes place on Mondays, brings a team from a local baseball league with unique abilities to Rays home games, giving children the opportunity to be on the field and be a baseball player for a day. Vilade has said the program allows kids to enjoy a baseball experience they might not otherwise get to have, per the same Tampa Bay 28 report. The Rays organization recognizes local leagues with unique abilities through the initiative, which according to MLB.com is presented by Union Home Mortgage and hosts non-competitive local leagues such as Buddy Baseball, A League of Their Own, and the St. Petersburg Challenger League for pregame batting practice, high-five tunnels, and suite seating.
One of the local partners featured in that rotation, Buddy Baseball in Temple Terrace, serves Tampa Bay youth with special needs ages 8 to 22. The league has grown from 36 players across six teams in its first season to roughly 20 teams with up to 180 players and an equal number of peer buddies, according to Florida BaseballBiz. The league uses customized rules, including counting any hit into the outfield grass as a home run, to keep the focus on fun.
Assistance Beyond the Ballpark
The Keeper of the Game Foundation shares the game of baseball with children with special needs and disabilities, but its support does not stop at game-day experiences. The foundation provides other forms of assistance and may cover the cost of a wheelchair or a new baseball glove for a family in need, and its website states it is ready to help anyone in need. The foundation also expanded its scope in March 2025 by launching Justin's Love, or #J12, programming that provides direct financial assistance to families of medically fragile children who require hospitalization, according to the Keeper of The Game Foundation. That program was created in memory of Justin Nelson, a 20-year-old baseball fan.
Vilade has been involved with the foundation since its founding, and his commitment extends into how he interacts with fans directly. He has long required people requesting autographed cards by mail to make a donation to the nonprofit, a practice he began shortly after being drafted, according to MiLB.com. In June 2025, Vilade and fellow MLB player Ryan O'Hearn were co-named recipients of the 2025 Keeper of The Game Award for their work supporting special needs youth and raising awareness for the foundation across their respective franchises.
A Family Foundation Rooted in a Coach's Legacy
The foundation's origins trace back to a moment on an elementary school playground, where James Vilade met a kindergarten student named Hollis, combined with a eulogy he delivered in 2008 for legendary baseball scout Red Murff, the scout credited with discovering Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Those experiences led James Vilade to formally establish the Keeper of the Game Foundation on October 16, 2014, according to the foundation's own history.
Before launching the nonprofit, James Vilade built a substantial coaching résumé, compiling a 348-117 record — a .748 winning percentage — over 11 seasons building the varsity baseball programs at the University of Dallas and UT Tyler from the ground up. That mark ranks as the second-highest career winning percentage in Texas college baseball history, trailing only UT legend Cliff Gustafson, according to Oklahoma State University Athletics.
Ryan Vilade's own path to professional baseball began at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, where the Colorado Rockies selected him in the second round, 48th overall, of the 2017 MLB Draft. He signed for a bonus of $1,425,400 and made his major league debut in September 2021, according to Baseball America. He has since played for the Rockies, Tigers, and Cardinals before joining the Rays organization ahead of the 2026 season.
Giving Directly to Tampa Bay
Vilade has also made his own direct financial contributions to the community since arriving in Tampa Bay. In June 2026, he donated $2,600 to the Rays Up Community Fund, choosing the figure to match his Rays jersey number, 26, in support of local charitable programs.
That gift fits within a much larger pattern of giving by the organization itself. Official Rays team records show more than 300 children have participated in on-field experiences through the franchise's Magic Mondays and Tuesday's Champion access programs, contributing to more than $21 million in total organizational community giving, according to MLB.com. For a player who has worn a reminder of that mission on his wrist for his entire professional career, the numbers reflect a commitment that started long before he ever put on a Rays uniform.
