The Kansas City T-Bones have signed several more players for the 2019 season, including existing players and new talent.
Shawn O’Malley
Announced today was the signing of infielder Shawn O’Malley, who played in 2018 for the Albuquerque Isotopes, a Colorado Rockies AAA club in the Pacific Coast League. O’Malley was recovering from a broken hand in spring training during part of the year.
O’Malley hit .279 with one home run and 16 RBIs last season, in 55 games. He also played with AAA Tacoma, AA Arkansas and rookie level Arizona.
In 2016, O’Malley was called up to the Seattle Mariners in May, and played 89 games with a .229 batting average. O’Malley spent the first eight years of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
O’Malley, who grew up in the Tri Cities of Washington state, now resides in Overland Park, Kansas.
Dustin Hurlbutt
The T-Bones also recently signed pitcher Dustin Hurlbutt. A native of Coffeyville, Kansas, Hurlbutt spent parts of four seasons with the Oakland Athletics organization after being selected in the 15th round 2015 draft. He attended Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas.
Hurlbutt played in the Venezuelan Winter League this winter, starting twice. Last season he had a 3-4 record with a 3.86 earned run average in nine starts with Stockton in the California League. In 2017, he played at three levels of the Athletics’ organization.
At Tabor, he was named NAIA All-American and was a member of the Blue Jays club that reached the NAIA World Series.
Marcus Crescentini
Marcus Crescentini, who pitched for the T-Bones during the 2018 championship season, returns for this season.
Crescentini had a 1.32 earned run average in 25 appearances from the T-Bones bullpen. He struck out 36 and went 5-0 with one save for the T-Bones.
The right-handed pitcher was the winner of the fourth championship game Sept. 15 when the T-Bones clinched the American Association title with a 5-3 win over St. Paul.
Crescentini, a Florida native who joined the T-Bones on July 4, 2018, previously played with Jupiter in the Florida State League, and also with AA Jacksonville in the Southern League.
He began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2015, and played in the Pioneer Rookie League, with Great Lake in the Midwest League, with Batavia in the New York-Penn League, and Greensboro of the South Atlantic League.
Christian Correa
Catcher Christian Correa will be returning to the T-Bones for the 2019 season. It is the third time he has played for the T-Bones.
Correa spent spring training in 2018 w ith the T-Bones, but was traded on May 15 to the Sussex County Miners in the Can-Am League. His rights were reacquired in a trade from Sussex County on Oct. 8, 2018. At Sussex County, he played in 50 games, hitting .292 with two home runs and 26 RBIs.
He was with the Houston Astros organization in 2017 before joining the T-Bones on May 17 and starting behind the plate on opening night. He played previously for Buies Creek in the Carolina League. For the T-Bones, he hit .215 in eight games, hitting a home run and five RBIs. He hit an inside-the-park home run May 30 against Gary SouthShore.
In June of 2017, the Colorado Rockies signed Correa and sent him to Boise in the Northwest League, where he went 1 for 12 with one RBI. He is a native of Coconut Creek, Florida, and went to Nicholl State University in Louisiana. In his college career, he was on some all-conference and all-state teams and also was named to the dean’s list.
As a catcher for the T-Bones in 2016, Correa caught 46 percent of the base runners, and also caught three in 15 attempts in Kansas City in 2017.
Mason Davis
A key member of the T-Bones championship team, infielder Mason Davis, has signed for the 2019 season.
Davis played in 63 games for the T-Bones in 2018 after joining the team June 22, and was second in home runs, with nine, and led the club in stolen bases, with 26. He had 31 RBIs, finishing with a .313 batting average.
He led off for the T-Bones, and had seven sacrifice bunts during the season.
At third base, he had an excellent .954 fielding percentage with only five errors on the season.
A clutch hitter, Davis was where he was needed during the wild card playoff competition. He scored three runs in a T-Bones 14-13 win over Sioux City at home on Aug. 28. He scored three runs in a 12-6 T-Bones win over Wichita in the playoff race.
On Sept. 2, when the T-Bones and Gary RailCats were tied 2-2 in extra innings, Davis hit a solo home run down the right field line in the 16th inning for a T-Bones lead of 3-2.
During the American Association Championship Series, Davis drove in two and scored another in an 11-4 win for the T-Bones in the opener. In the third game, he scored a run and added a stolen base in a 7-3 comeback win.
A native of Georgia, Davis has previously played for Jacksonville in the Southern League, for Jupiter in the Florida State League, and for Greensboro in the South Atlantic League. He also played for the Marlins organization at Batavia in the New York-Pennsylvania League.
The T-Bones’ opening day will be Friday, May 17, against the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
Full and half-season ticket packages and mini plans are on sale online at www.tbonesbaseball.com or by calling 913-328-5618 or visiting T-Bones Stadium offices.
Wyandotte County residents will be able to purchase individual game tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, and the public may purchase individual tickets on Thursday, March 21.
- Information from T-Bones