Category: T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed left-handed pitcher Carlos Diaz, a player who spent part of the 2018 season with the T-Bones, for the 2019 season.

Diaz returns to Kansas City from the Cincinnati Reds organization where the left-hander spent the second half of the 2018 season and the opening month of the 2019 season before his release April 16 by the Reds organization.

Diaz made 20 appearances in 2018 for Daytona in the Florida State League, the high-A club for Cincinnati. In 22.1 innings, he struck out 37, surrendering eight earned runs on 14 hits with a 3.22 ERA. He was 0-1 with one save in one opportunity.

In five games out of the pen, Diaz tossed three innings, giving up one hit and two earned runs with an 0-1 record and one save with six strike outs.

In 2018, Diaz was a strong bullpen force for Kansas City, pitching 18.2 innings in 18 games for the T-Bones with nine saves, a 0.48 ERA and 27 strikeouts. He did not allow a run in nine straight innings and eight straight appearances to close out his stay in the “metro.”

That run was part of the reason Diaz, on July 7, 2018, became the 34th Kansas City player, and the fourth at that point in the season, to have his contract purchased while with the T-Bones. Since 2018, the T-Bones have had 13 players’ contracts purchased and four players sign with Mexico.

Diaz returned to the American Association last season after spending part of the 2017 season with the Miami Marlins organization. He pitched two scoreless innings in the Gulf Coast Rookie League for the Marlins before moving on to Low-A Greensboro in the South Atlantic League. He worked three games, covering two innings and not allowing a single run for the Grasshoppers.

Diaz began 2017 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats where he went 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 42.1 innings. He led all Gary pitchers with a .164 opponents’ batting average, and he struck out 63 while walking just 17 in 42.1 innings. The Marlins purchased Diaz contract on August 6, 2017 from Gary.

The left-hander from La Vega, Dominican, Republic was originally signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians organization in 2012. He posted a 2-5 record in his rookie season with the Dominican Summer League with a 2.82 ERA in 51 innings then followed that season by going 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA in 13 innings of relief in Gulf Coast League for the Indians.

Diaz stepped away from the game for two years but returned in 2016 in the Pecos League, tossing 17 innings with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings and adding 20 strike outs.

Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages as well as mini plans are on sale online by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale. Visit www.tbonesbaseball.com for more information.

Opening day for the T-Bones is set for Friday, May 17, at T-Bones Stadium when the T-Bones play host to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to open the 2019 season.

• Story from T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed 10-year minor league veteran infielder Carlos Franco for the 2019 season.

Carlos Franco joins the T-Bones after blasting 36 home runs combined over the last two seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization.

The left-handed batting corner infielder spent the 2018 season with the AAA Gwinnett Stripers of the International League for Atlanta. In 119 games, he hit .249 (109-for-437) with 16 home runs and 76 RBIs—both totals led the club—all while playing 102 games at first base.

Franco finished fourth in the International League in RBIs while his home run total was good to tie him for eighth place in the circuit. Franco was third in the club with 22 doubles and third for the team with 52 runs while reaching a .311 on-base percentage. His 109 hits were tied for second on the Stripers roster.

Franco split time between AAA and AA in 2017. He would combine to hit .252 (116-for-461) with 18 doubles, 21 home runs, 53 runs and 77 RBIs in 134 games at both Gwinnett and Mississippi. His 21 long balls tied him with Ronald Acuna for tops in the Braves system in 2017, and Franco was named to the Braves Organizational All-Star Team by MiLB.com. In 93 games at AAA, his 77 runs knocked in also placed him second in the farm system to Acuna, who had 82.

Franco, 27, was born in Bani, Dominican Republic, and was signed by the Atlanta Braves as a non-drafted free agent on May 5, 2009. In his first six professional seasons, Franco played 444 games at third base and one at first. He has played 186 games at first base and another 122 at third base. He has not played third since 2017. Over his career, Franco is a .244 hitter with 70 home runs and 435 RBIs.

The 6-foot-2 Franco has spent parts of three spring trainings in Big League camp. In 17 games in the Grapefruit League, he has a .303 batting average with two home runs and seven RBIs. In 2018 Franco played in 14 games in the Braves spring training, going 8-for-30 with a pair of long balls and five runs knocked in.

Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages as well as mini plans are on sale online by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale. Opening day for the T-Bones is set for Friday, May 17, at T-Bones Stadium when the T-Bones play host to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to open the 2019 season.

• Story from T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed two right-handed pitchers, Corey Walter and Marc Magliaro, for the 2019 season.

That move comes in addition to some other recent changes. The T-Bones also recently signed right-handed pitcher Jesus Balaguer and outfielder Forrestt Allday for the 2019 season.

Walter joined the T-Bones from the Oakland Athletics organization, where he was the 28th round pick in the 2014 June draft. Walter spent most of last season at AA Midland in the Texas League, going 4-6 with a 6.21 ERA in 75.1 innings and adding 39 strike outs for the RockHounds. He appeared in 26 games and made nine starts at AA. Walter was sent to the rookie level Arizona League in June for a rehab stint for the Athletics. He tossed four innings, giving up two earned runs in those four innings.

Walter was drafted out of West Virginia University and has been a part of two Texas League Championship Clubs with Midland in 2016 and 2017. The 6-3 right-hander comes from Wheeling, West Virginia, where he starred at Wheeling Park High School. Walter was a four-year player for the Mountaineers where he went 14-20 in 265.2 innings with a 4.46 ERA in 58 games with 31 starts.

As a professional, Walter has a career 3.50 ERA in 378.2 minor league innings with 246 strike outs.

Right-hander Marc Magliaro arrives in Kansas City, Kansas, with a five-year resume of pro baseball experience, all with the Colorado Rockies organization. Magliaro, a career reliever, has 149 appearances in the minor leagues with a 4.81 ERA in 200.1 innings.

In 2018 Magliaro pitched in 36 games for AA Hartford in the Eastern League. He posted a 3-4 record with a 4.44 ERA in 48.2 innings with 51 strike outs. He gave up 24 earned runs on 49 hits at AA last season. Magliaro spent the entire 2017 season at high A Lancaster in the California League. He worked in 61.2 innings over 41 games out of the pen with a 5.11 ERA. Magliaro struck out 53 while surrendering 73 hits and allowing 35 earned runs.

Magliaro was a non-drafted free agent signee out of Rowan University (New Jersey) in 2013, but he did not pitch until his senior season. Magliaro made a name for himself in college as a shortstop. He was a four-year starter at short with a .328 career batting average in 164 games and was team captain his senior year. Magliaro, 29, played high school ball in Monroe, New Jersey.

Jesus Balaguer comes to Kansas City, Kansas, after a short stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Arizona purchased the contract of the Cuban native after a strong second half of the season with the Washington Wild Things in the Frontier League.

In 10 regular season games, Balaguer fanned 34 batters in 18 innings of work while scattering 12 hits and seven runs with 11 walks. Washington qualified for the Frontier League playoffs and made it all the way to the league championship series, eventually falling short to Sussex County.

In the post season, Balaguer pitched in seven games, including in all five of the Frontier League Championship Series games. Balaguer tossed 7.2 playoff innings of scoreless relief, giving up only two hits and striking out 13. Balaguer joined Washington on Aug. 7, 2018, after parts of two seasons with the Houston Astros organization. In three seasons as a professional in Cuba, Balaguer went 6-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 68.2 innings, punching out 49 batters, all in relief.

This past off-season, Balaguer had a solid winter league campaign, working 14.1 innings in relief and allowing just two earned runs with 13 strike outs for Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. Overall, in five professional seasons he has pitched 167.1 innings with 192 strike outs and has posted a 16-10 record with five saves. Balaguer has 111 appearances on his resume, all coming out of the pen.

Forrestt Allday was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas. Allday comes to KCK after spending the last season with the San Diego Padres organization between AA San Antonio and AAA El Paso. The native of Galveston, Texas, spent the bulk of his time last season El Paso in the Pacific Coast League.

In 80 games Allday hit .281 with four home runs and 35 RBIs. He led the team with 11 stolen bases and finished fourth in runs scored with 54. He opened the season at AA San Antonio in the Texas League, playing 41 games through the season’s first month and a half and hitting .248 with four RBIs.

In college Allday helped the University of Central Arkansas to the 2013 Regional tournament and was Rawlings/ABCA 1st Team All American, Southland Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, Baseball America 3rd-team All-American and UCA Student Athlete of the Year his final season. He began his college career at Alvin Community College before transferring to UCA. Born in Galveston, Allday attended Friendswood High School in south Houston where he was part of the 2009 Regional Semifinalist team.

Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages, as well as mini plans, are on sale online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale.

Opening day for the T-Bones is set for Friday May 17, at T-Bones Stadium when the T-Bones play host to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

• Story from T-Bones

2019 Offseason Roster

Position Name Hometown
RHP Robbie Gordon St. Louis, MO
OF Darnell Sweeney Miami, FL
IF Nick Basto Southwest Ranches, FL
OF Daniel Robertson West Covina, CA
RHP Dustin Hurlbutt Coffeyville, KS
INF Mason Davis Stone Mountain, GA
C Christian Correa Coconut Creek, FL
RHP Marcus Crescentini Tampa, FL
Utility Shawn O’Malley Southridge, WA
LHP Joe Filomeno Chicago, IL
RHP Jackson Lowery Little Rock, AR
IF Mikey Reynolds Glendale, AZ
RHP Tommy Collier Houston, TX
C Roy Morales Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
INF Ryan Brett Seattle, WA
RHP Dylan Baker Juneau, Alaska
OF Forrestt Allday Clearlake, TX
IF Dylan Tice Perkasie, PA
RHP Jesus Balaguer Havana, Cuba
RHP Marc Magliaro Monroe, NJ
RHP Corey Walter Wheeling, WV