Playoffs begin Friday night in KCK
Joe Calfapietra, Kansas City Monarchs manager, was named manager of the year for the American Association of Professional Baseball.
The Monarchs set a franchise record for wins in 2021 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the American Association playoffs. The Monarchs will start postseason play at Legends Field in KCK at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, facing the Sioux City Explorers.
Calfapietra claims the award for the second time since taking over the Kansas City franchise’s “top step” in 2017. He won the award following the 2018 championship season.
“It’s always nice to get acknowledged by your peers for the work you’ve done, but this award is truly because of the hard work and determination of our players, coaching staff and athletic trainer on a daily basis,” Calfapietra said.
“I’m so fortunate to have great people around me not only on the field but also in the front office and ownership. This is truly a team award that I am so happy to share with my organization for all the accomplishments we have achieved to this point in our 2021 campaign,” Calfapietra added.
Calfapietra is the first manager in franchise history to finish .500 or above in back-to-back seasons. He has since taken that two steps further, doing it for four straight seasons. No other manager in franchise history has had more than one season above .500.
On July 29 he passed Al Gallagher in wins in franchise history with 218, coming after a 10-6 win over Houston at Legends Field in KCK.
Calfapietra has instilled a philosophy of building his teams through helping his players seek positions back in affiliated baseball.
That philosophy has led to 21 players having their contracts transferred off the roster, including 10 since opening day and four members of the starting rotation from June 5 to 17. Despite the numbers, the Monarchs still have a league high in players transferred and also a league high in wins.
“We are so proud of what Joe has accomplished. Our entire organization shares in this excitement. Joe’s passion and leadership is part of what makes the Monarchs special in Kansas City,” Monarchs owner Mark Brandmeyer said.
Calfapietra was named the sixth manager in the club’s history on Nov. 30, 2016. Calfapietra is in 21st season as a manager, all at the independent level.
The 2021 team set a franchise record for wins at 69 and for games above .500 at 38, also a franchise high. The Monarchs won their second straight American Association Southern Division regular season title, clinching in a win over Kane County on Aug. 26.
The 2019 season was a memorable one for the Pennsylvania native. He guided the club to another winning record of 58-42, the third straight winning record and above .500 finish for KC. He added a Southern Division title, something the franchise had not achieved in the American Association.
That moved the team into the postseason for the second straight season, and he reached his milestone 1,000th win on July 29 in game one of a doubleheader at St. Paul. He joined the 1,000-game winner fraternity that includes St. Paul Manager George Tsamis, former Fargo boss Doug Simunic, current Gary Manager Greg Tagert, and third-year Chicago Dogs Manager Butch Hobson.
In 2018 Calfapietra was named the American Association manager of the year after leading Kansas City to a 62-37 record and a playoff berth as the second-place finishers in the south division. He led the team to their first title as members of the American Association and the third in franchise history.
“I would also like to thank my family for the sacrifices they have to make, being without their father and husband during the season is never easy,” Calfapietra said.
Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, Calfapietra spent 14 seasons as the manager of the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League. While in New Jersey, only four of those 14 teams did not reach the postseason.
The Jackals won the league championship in 2004, at the end of Calfapietra’s second season in New Jersey, and then his teams reached the league championship series in five consecutive seasons, 2011-2015.
The Monarchs will start postseason play at Legends Field on Friday, Sept. 10, facing the Sioux City Explorers. The first pitch Friday is at 7 p.m., and the game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.
Postseason tickets can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com/tickets.
- Story from Kansas City Monarchs