Former Richmond Braves manager Grady Little has been named the recipient of the 2025 Paul Keyes RBI Award, the Flying Squirrels announced on Monday.
Little will be recognized with the Paul Keyes RBI Award at The Diamond on Thursday, July 24 as part of the Flying Squirrels’ Diamond Through the Decades 1990s Night.
The Paul Keyes RBI (Richmond Baseball Impact) Award is given annually in memory of the late VCU baseball coach Paul Keyes to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the game of baseball within the Richmond community or from the Richmond community.
“Grady is one of one,” Flying Squirrels Senior Advisor Todd “Parney” Parnell said. “More than just a manager here in Richmond and on the national stage in MLB, he is the best of the best in terms of human decency and kindness, just the total package. As a baseball lifer, he’s forgotten more about the game than I’ll ever know, but he made his greatest contributions to the game through the way he helped people get better and made the most out of people. It’s an extreme honor for us to bestow the Richmond Baseball Impact Award to Grady.”
Little managed the Richmond Braves from 1993 to 1995, leading the team to the International League postseason all three seasons. He left Richmond with the second-best managerial record in franchise history at 235-189. In 1994, Richmond won the Governors’ Cup and Little was named the IL Manager of the Year.
Prior to the 2025 season, Little was voted by fans as the manager for the All-Diamond Team.
Little spent 18 years managing in the minors. He also managed parts of six seasons in the majors with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Paul Keyes RBI Award Recipients
2011 – Eddie Kasko
2012 – Johnny Grubb
2013 – Gene Alley
2014 – Tracy Woodson
2015 – Sam Ayoub
2016 – Cla Meredith
2017 – Shawn Stiffler
2018 – Tony Beasley
2019 – Ray Hedrick
2020 – Chris Ray
2022 – Mark Budzinski
2023 – Billy Wagner
2025 – Grady Little
The Flying Squirrels’ Diamond Through the Decades 1990s Night on Thursday, July 24 will also feature a Chipper Jones Bobblehead Giveaway for the first 2,000 fans presented by Dominion Energy. The team will wear special retro Richmond Baseball jerseys on the field.
Tickets are on sale online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
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