Category: T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed right-handed pitcher Tommy Collier for the 2019 season.

Tommy Collier returns to Kansas City, Kansas, after a stellar season in 2018. The Houston native was terrific all season long and came up big for the T-Bones in the American Association playoffs.

Collier tossed seven innings in the first-round division series clincher in a 4-2 win over Sioux City at Lewis and Clark Park in Iowa. He scattered four hits and allowed just one earned run to help push the T-Bones on to the championship series.

Collier was not able to pitch the first two games at St. Paul in the league finals, but when the series shifted to Kansas City and his turn came up five days later, he again delivered. He hurled eight innings, giving up three earned runs in a 7-3 T-Bones win to take a 2-1 series lead over the Saints. He went 2-0 in the post season and gave up four earned runs in 15 innings with 11 strike outs.

The right-hander twice earned Rawlings Pitcher of the Month honors in June and July and put up an impressive streak over the course of his last 15 starts of the regular season.

In all 15 starts, from June 18 until Aug. 30, Kansas City went 15-0 as a team in Collier’s 15 starts. He picked up 11 wins on his record, and in the other four starts, he threw four more quality starts of three earned runs or fewer in at least six innings. In his other start in that stretch, he went five innings with six punch outs in another T-Bones win.

For the season, the former Detroit Tigers farm hand went 12-3 with 140 strike outs in 133 innings of work. He issued just 22 walks in 20 starts with a 3.11 ERA.

Combined for the regular and post season Collier posted a 14-4 record in 156 innings with 160 strike outs. Collier threw 16 quality starts out of 23 turns in the rotation. He pitched at least six innings in 21 of his last 22 starts for the T-Bones.

Collier also won eight of his 10 road starts, and the T-Bones won all 10 of his starts away from T-Bones Stadium, including game five of the American Association Division Series where he was the winner.

Collier finished second in the American Association in innings pitched, and his 12 wins tied for the league lead. His 140 strike outs led the association, and Collier owns the record for the most in a single season by a T-Bones pitcher.

He broke the record of 139 strike outs that Johnathan Krysa reached in 2004. The 12 wins was the fourth highest total for a single season in franchise history.

Tommy Collier joined the T-Bones after spending 2011-2016 with the Detroit Tigers organization and reaching AA Erie in 2016, posting a career 41-37 record and a 3.88 ERA in 650 innings with Detroit.

Collier has pitched in the Venezuela Winter League for La Guaira in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, pitching in 64 innings with a 4.22 ERA over the two combined seasons. This past winter, he played in the Mexican Winter League for Obregon, going 2-4 with a 5.32 ERA.

Collier was the 22nd round pick of the Tigers in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft out of San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas. He went 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in his rookie season with Connecticut in the New York/Penn League in 2011. In 2012 he made the jump to low A West Michigan, going 9-8, and he led all the starters on the club with a 2.74 ERA in 24 starting nods.

In 2013, 2014 and 2015, Collier split time between High A Lakeland and AA Erie and spent 2013 in the prestigious Arizona Fall League with Mesa. Collier combined for a 4.43 ERA in 67 innings in 2013 in, and in 2014, he tossed 133 innings with a 5.75 ERA for Detroit.

The right-hander went 7-8 in 2015 with a 3.70 ERA in 155.2 innings combined at both stops. At AA Erie in 2016, the Houston, Texas, native won a career high nine games in 25 starts with 130.2 innings with a 4.20 ERA. Collier led the SeaWolves in wins and innings pitched that season, adding 87 strike outs.

In 2008, Collier was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of high school in the 29th round of the MLB Draft from Cypress-Fairbanks High School in Cypress, Texas. He was then drafted in the 49th round by Toronto in 2009 while at San Jacinto College, but he did not sign.

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 now. Wyandotte County residents will be able to purchase individual game tickets beginning Tuesday, March 19, at 10 a.m. and the public on Thursday, March 21st.

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.

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The Kansas City T-Bones has traded right-handed reliever Scott Kuzminsky to Sussex County of the Can-Am League for infielder Mikey Reynolds.

Mikey Reynolds was the fifth-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player draft out of Texas A&M University.

Reynolds spent last season with Sussex County where he led the team at the plate with a .335 average, driving in 52 runs in 98 games for the Miners. He hit one home run and had 28 team-leading doubles along with 45 stolen bases on the season.

He finished second in stolen bases for the club and fifth at the plate in the league with his .335 clip. Reynolds was tied for second in the circuit in doubles and hits with 119, and his 78 runs scored led the league in 2018.

Reynolds went 10-for-36 with two doubles and two RBIs as the Miners won the Can-Am League Championship. He was named to the Can-Am All-Star Team at the end of his only season in the league. Following the U.S. summer, Reynolds spent the winter in the Australian summer, playing for the Adelaide Bite and hitting a team-leading .395 in 22 winter league games with two home runs and 14 RBIs.

Reynolds can play first, second and third bases, short stop, and in the outfield. Last season he played 61 games at second base for Sussex County, but he showed his versatility by playing all 22 games in Australia at short stop. . He saw 13 starts at third and another eight at short, and he played a game each in the outfield and at first base for the Miners in the Can-Am League last season.

As a junior at Texas A&M, he earned second team All-Big 12 honors, playing in 58 games for the Aggies and posting a .306 average with 23 runs knocked in, all at second base.

Scott Kuzminski was acquired by the T-Bones on Oct. 5, 2018, from the Wichita Wingnuts to complete an earlier trade. The right-hander began 2018 with the Seattle Mariners organization, going 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings at Arkansas in the Texas League, and he tossed another 3.1 innings at Modesto in the California League. With the Wingnuts, the native of Washington State struck out 23 in 22 innings and posted a 2.05 ERA.

The busy week also includes the announced retirements of right-handed pitcher Hunter Adkins, right-handed pitcher Barrett Astin and the release of right-handed pitcher Sam Street. All three were members of the 2018 T-Bones American Association Championship club. Sam Street was 0-1 in relief with a 4.03 ERA in 21.1 innings with one save in 2018. A member of the Australian National Team, Street had his season cut short owing to arm fatigue, and he returned “down under” to prepare for a run at the 2020 Team Australia Olympic bid.

Lowery signed

The Kansas City T-Bones have signed right-handed reliever Jackson Lowery for the 2019 season.

Jackson Lowery was signed by the T-Bones on Dec. 5, 2017, prior for the 2018 season. He pitched in 32 games for Kansas City in 2018, totaling 45.1 innings with 56 strike outs. Lowery pitched one scoreless inning in the post season as the T-Bones won the American Association crown and was 1-0 overall for KC.

Kansas City originally added Lowery to the roster on Aug. 4, 2017, while the team was on its longest road trip of the season. Lowery retired all four of his batters in his debut at Lincoln that night and went on to have a 2-1 record with a 3.12 ERA in 17.1 relief innings in 2017. He made one spot start for the club, while adding 25 strike outs in his first season.

In his career with the T-Bones, the right-hander has a 3.13 ERA in 63.1 innings, pitching in 47 games for Kansas City. The Arkansas native has 82 strike outs in 63.1 innings in the American Association.

Lowery hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, and pitched in college at the University of Arkansas in the SEC.

Filomeno signed

Left-handed reliever Joe Filomeno has signed for the 2019 season.

Joe Filomeno was a strong bullpen force for Kansas City in 2018, pitching 41.1 innings in 35 games for the T-Bones with a 4-2 record, a 1.30 ERA and 48 strikeouts. The left-hander joined the T-Bones on June 2 after being released by the Frisco RoughRiders the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers. He went 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in seven innings with the AA Texas League team.

He spent 2017 with the same ball club and posted an 0-3 record with an 8.10 ERA in 29 games. In 2016, he played 30 games for the RoughRiders with a 2.20 ERA in 41 innings.

Filomeno figured heavily in the post-season for KC last season. He picked up a hold in game two of the American Association Division Series on Sept. 5 at T-Bones Stadium. With runners at second and third and the T-Bones clinging to a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh, Filomeno struck out Dylan Kelly in a 2-2 pitch to end a Sioux City threat in an eventual 4-2 series, tying win for KC.

Two nights later he earned the relief win, giving the T-Bones a 2-1 series upper hand on the road in Iowa. He worked 1.1 innings with a pair of strike outs in the 5-2 win over the X’s.

He again picked up a clean inning in the 4-2 series, clinching the win with a strike out in game five, earning his second hold of the series. Overall in the post season, he went 1-0 with an 8.30 ERA in four games, working 4.1 innings with five strike outs.

From July 4 through Aug. 23,, Filomeno had an 18-game appearance stretch over 23 innings where he did not allow a run of any kind. He added 26 strike outs to his stat line during that run while picking up three wins.

After getting off to a strong start, including four straight scoreless outings, he became the third T-Bone player in the month of July to be sold to an MLB organization when Seattle purchased his contract on July 13. He returned to the T-Bones July 18.

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 Health System Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale. Wyandotte County residents will be able to purchase individual game tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, and the public on Thursday, March 21. Opening day for the T-Bones is set for Friday, May 17, at T-Bones Stadium when the T-Bones play host the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks to open the 2019 season.

Information from T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones announced today that the club has partnered with two area universities to bring college baseball to T-Bones Stadium in 2019.

Baker University will play host to Missouri Valley College for a three-game set, with a double header at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16. The two teams will play again at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 17.

The second part of the schedule will feature Pittsburg State University playing host to Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday, April 9, with a single game starting at 6 p.m.

“Baker University is very excited to partner with the T-Bones organization for this series,” said Baker Athletic Director Nate Houser, in a news release.

“We’re thrilled to bring college baseball to T-Bones Stadium and the Kansas City, Kansas, area,” Chris Browne, T-Bones vice president and general manager, said. “This series will feature member teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference and the MIAA, and we have plans to expand this program in the future.”

“We’re excited to play at T-Bones Stadium. This will be a great experience for our players and our Kansas City alumni. We’re looking forward to hosting Northwest Missouri, and I know they have a great following in KC as well,” said Bob Fornelli, head coach of the Pittsburg State Gorillas.

Tickets prices are set for $8 for the public and $5 for students and staff (must show your school ID). The T-Bones are offering a special on available suite rentals, starting at minimum of 10 tickets at $15 each.

Tickets are set to go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 1, and they can be purchased online at www.tbonesbaseball.com or by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Health Systems Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Full and half-season 2019 T-Bones ticket packages, as well as mini plans, are on sale now online by calling 913- 328-5618 or by visiting the T-Bones Stadium offices. Group ticket sales are also on sale now. Wyandotte County residents will be able to purchase individual game tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, and the public on Thursday, March 21. 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.

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