Kansas City T-Bones

Kansas City T-Bones
Team logo Cap insignia
League	American Association (Central Division)
Location	Kansas City, Kansas
Ballpark	CommunityAmerica Ballpark
Year founded	2003
League championships	1 (2008)
Division championships	0
Former name(s)	Kansas City T-Bones (2003–present) Duluth–Superior Dukes (1993–2002)
Former league(s)	Northern League (2003–10)
Colors	Black, maroon, white
Retired numbers	1 (Dennis Pearce) 22 (Buck O'Neil)
Ownership	John Ehlert
Manager	John Massarelli
General Manager	Chris Browne
Media	Kansas City Kansan, The Kansas City Star
Website	www.tbonesbaseball.com

The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas, in the United States. The T-Bones are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The T-Bones have played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark since 2003, when the team started as a member of the Northern League. In 2011, the team joined the modern American Association.

History

The team was previously known as the Duluth–Superior Dukes (representing Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin), which had won the Northern League championship 1997, though league records do not reflect such continuity.

The T-Bones broke ground on CommunityAmerica Ballpark September 4, 2002, and just over nine months later played their first home game on June 6, 2003.

The team's mascot is named "Sizzle".

2003

Eddie Pearson led the league in batting average (.362), RBIs (78), and hits (124). and was named 2003 Northern League Player of the Year.

2004

The T-Bones finished the regular season with a 48-48 record. They went to the first round of the playoffs and exited the first round after losing 3 of 5 games to the Schaumburg Flyers. For the year, T-Bones player Eddie Pearson received the Most Valuable Player award, Rick Muntean received co-executive of the year, and the entire team received Organization of the Year. Several League Records were set by T-Bones players: Jonathan Krysa set records for innings pitched (165.1), total batters faced, and games started (24); Rick Prieto set new records for walks (78), and runs (97), while tying the league record for triples (10); and Eddie Pearson set the intentional walks record with 17.

2005

The T-Bones finished 45-49 overall. They finished second in the first half with a record of 27-19, just missing the playoff berth, but never contended in the second half due to the loss of several key players.

2006

Jonathan Krysa was named Northern League Pitcher of the Year with a record of 13-5 and a 3.74 ERA. However, the T-Bones finished third in both halves of the season. They led the second-half race until the final week, when a disastrous season-ending road trip ended their hopes. Their overall record of 45-51 for the season was their franchise-worst record and gave them a 181-194 (.482) record in their four years in Kansas City. On Oct. 16, 2006, the T-Bones announced the firing of manager, "Dirty" Al Gallagher, who had been the team's first and only manager. Andy McCauley replaced him. Gallagher has been in professional baseball since 1965 when he was the 14th player overall selected, taken in the first round by the San Francisco Giants, and took another managing job with the St. Joseph Blacksnakes.

2007

The team hired former Schaumburg manager Andy McCauley to replace Gallagher. The team began 2007 with only two players carried over from the previous season, and released them by mid-season for a 100% turnover of its 22-man roster. The T-Bones finished deep in last place in the Southern Division in the first half, but moved into the lead during the second-half and held that lead until a late-season collapse left them in a disappointing second-place finish. The team's overall 44-52 record was one game worse than the previous season's franchise record. Despite their disappointing finish, the organization was named Northern League Organization of the Year.

2008

The Northern League contracted to six teams, and a single-division full season schedule was used. The T-Bones finished only marginally better (46-50) than the two previous seasons, but nonetheless qualified as the fourth team in the playoffs. They shocked the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the semifinal round of the playoffs, sweeping them in three games, and then defeated the Gary SouthShore RailCats three games to one to win the Northern League championship.

2009

The T-Bones matched their previous season's record (46-50) and finish (fourth in a six-team league), but could not advance past the first round, losing that series 3-2 to Gary. Shortly after the end of the season, the team announced that hitting coach Tim Doherty had been promoted to manager for the following season, replacing Andy McCauley.

2010

The Northern League expanded to eight teams again, but maintained the same playoff format, allowing the top four finishers into the post-season. The T-Bones enjoyed their most successful season under new manager Tim Doherty, winning 58 games and setting a new league record with 162 home runs, exceeding the previous high by more than 30%. They led through much of the year, but faded in the stretch to finish in second place, three games behind Fargo-Moorhead. T-Bones second baseman Jason Blackwood led the Northern League in home runs (31), RBI (86), runs scored (82), hits (141), total bases (271), and slugging percentage (.636) while finishing third in batting average (.331), and was named 2010 Northern League Player of the Year. The team beat Joliet three games to two in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept in three games by Fargo-Moorhead in the finals. The T-Bones were named Northern League Organization of the Year for the second time in four seasons, and CommunityAmerica Ballpark was named "Northern League Playing Surface of the Year" for the second straight season.

2011

On October 13, 2010, the T-Bones left the Northern League, along with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Gary SouthShore RailCats, and the Winnipeg Goldeyes to join the American Association for the 2011 season.^[1] The team fell out of the race early and finished fifth and last in their division, though their winning percentage (.480) was better than any third-place finisher in the other two divisions. Outfielder Ray Sadler was the offensive leader, hitting .315 with 22 HR (2nd in the AA) and a league-leading 100 RBI. Outfielder Keanon Simon led the team with a .332 BA and tied for the league lead with 16 triples, while catcher Kala Kaaihue tied Sadler with 22 HR. Kris Johnson finished 3rd in the AA with a 3.23 ERA.

Year-by-year record

						First Half			Second Half			Overall
Season		League		Division		W-L	Finish		W-L	Finish		W-L	Win%		Playoffs		Manager
2003		NL		West		20-25	4th		23-21	2nd		43-46	.483		Did not qualify		Al Gallagher
2004		NL		South		20-28	4th		28-20	1st		48-48	.500		Lost semi-final 2-3		Al Gallagher
2005		NL		South		27-19	2nd		18-30	5th		45-49	.479		Did not qualify		Al Gallagher
2006		NL		South		22-26	3rd		23-25	3rd		45-51	.469		Did not qualify		Al Gallagher
2007		NL		South		18-30	4th		26-22	2nd		44-52	.458		Did not qualify		Andy McCauley
2008		NL		N/A		46-50	4th		N/A	N/A		46-50	.479		Won semi-final 3-0; won championship 3-1		Andy McCauley
2009		NL		N/A		46-50	4th		N/A	N/A		46-50	.479		Lost semi-final 2-3		Andy McCauley
2010		NL		N/A		58-42	2nd		N/A	N/A		58-42	.580		Won semi-final 3-2; lost championship 0-3		Tim Doherty
2011		AA		Central		48-52	5th		N/A	N/A		48-52	.480		Did not qualify		Tim Doherty
2012		AA		Central		51-49	2nd		N/A	N/A		51-49	.510		Did not qualify		Ken Hook
2013		AA		Central		40-60	3rd		N/A	N/A		40-60	.400		Did not qualify		Ken Hook
2014		AA		Central		48-52	3rd		N/A	N/A		48-52	.480		Did not qualify		John Massarelli
2015		AA		Central		49-50	2nd		N/A	N/A		49-50	.495		Did not qualify		John Massarelli
Overall												562-601	.483

Playoffs

• 2004 season: Lost to Schaumburg 3-1 in semifinals.
• 2008 season: Defeated Fargo-Moorhead 3-0 in semifinals; defeated Gary 3-2 to win championship.
• 2009 season: Lost to Gary 3-2 in semifinals.
• 2010 season: Defeated Joliet 3-2 in semifinals; lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3-0 in championship.

Current roster

Kansas City T-Bones roster
Active (22-man) roster				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 24 Aaron Baker  9 Casey Barnes 41 Kyle Brady 50 Kyle DeVore 47 Fernando Hernandez 47 Blake Holovach 23 Jonathan Kountis 16 Derek Loera 33 Jared Messer 13 Kris Regas 17 Josh Tols  7 Joe VanMeter		Catchers 12 Brian Erie 25 Alex Marquez Infielders 10 Jake Blackwood 34 James Boddicker ‡ 86 Ryan Cavan 11 Vladamir Frias  1 Blake May  3 Joe Rapp 15 Nate Tenbrink Outfielders 28 Adam Bailey 44 CJ Henry  4 Robby Kuzdale 89 Kyle Robinson ‡		Manager  6 John Massarelli Coaches 24 Dave Schaub (hitting) 34 Bill Sobbe (pitching) 20 Frank White (first base) Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list Roster updated May 22, 2015 Transactions

External links

• T-Bones web site
• Kansas City Star T-Bones articles
• nlfan.com Kansas City T-Bones Guide
• nlfan.com Duluth–Superior Dukes Guide

References

1. Four Clubs Added to American Association

• nlfan.com – yearly league standings & awards