Thunder Bay Border Cats
| Thunder Bay Border Cats | |
 | |
| Founded | 2003[1] |
| Ballpark | Port Arthur Stadium |
| Based in | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Team Colours | Red, Black |
| League | Northwoods League |
| Team Manager | Mitchell Feller |
| General manager | Dan Grant[2] |
| Championships | 2005 & 2008 Northwoods League Champions |
The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league's only Canadian team, their home games are played at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The Border Cats have been Northwoods League champions twice, defeating the Madison Mallards two games to one in both 2005 and 2008. They also were in the Northwoods League championship in 2006, but lost to the Rochester Honkers. [3]
As of 2014, the Border Cats have sent three players to the major leagues. Matt Mangini was the first to make the jump, playing 11 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2011. Shortstop Jonathan Diaz followed two years later, playing four games with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. Diaz also spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, almost making the team out of spring training. Pitcher Blaine Hardy became a regular in the Detroit Tigers bullpen in 2014.
2009 All-Star Game
The 2009 Northwoods League All-Star Game was held on July 21 in Thunder Bay. This was the first time the All-Star game played in Canada. The guest speaker for the event was Ferguson Jenkins, a Canadian member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The game was won 4-2 by the South Division squad, led by the MVP performance of Kurtis Muller, who went 3-for-5.
Notable Alumni
| Name | Position | Pro Affiliate | Level | League | Team | Status | Majors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oney Guillen | Infield | Chicago WS | AAA | International | Charlotte | Not active | N |
| Zach Daeges | Oufielder | Boston | A | New York Penn | Lowell Spinners | Not active | N |
| Reid Mahon | Pitcher | Arizona | AA | Southern | Mobile | Not active | N |
| Jon Hunton | Pitcher | -- | IND | American Association | Laredo | Not active | N |
| Derek Wiley | Infield | Atlanta | Lo A | South Atlantic | Rome | Not active | N |
| Matt Camp | Outfield | Chicago Cubs | AA | Southern | Tennessee | Not active | N |
| Jonathan Diaz | Infield | New York Yankees | AAA | International League | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | Active | 2013-2015 |
| Scot Drucker | Pitcher | -- | IND | American Association | Grand Prairie | Not active | N |
| Marc Maddox | Infield | Kansas City | AAA | Pacific Coast | Omaha | Not active | N |
| Matt Mangini | Infield | Seattle | -- | MLB | Seattle | Not active | 2010 |
| Eric Wordekemper | Pitcher | -- | AAA | Mexican | Olmecas de Tabasco | Active | N |
| Dale Mollenhauer | Infield | Baltimore | HI A | Carolina | Frederick | Not active | N |
| Brandon Tripp | Outfield | Detroit | AA | Florida | Erie | Not active | N |
| Scot Vander Weg | Pitcher | Philadelphia | AA | Texas | Springfield | Not active | N |
| Blake Brannon | Pitcher | LA Dodgers | Hi A | California | Inland Empire | Not active | N |
| Ramon Corona | Infield | San Francisco | Lo A | South Atlantic | Augusta | Not active | N |
| Craig Heyer | Pitcher | NY Yankees | AA | Eastern | Trenton | Not active | N |
| Jon Mueller | Pitcher | Chicago Cubs | AAA | PCL | Iowa | Not active | N |
| Benjamin Petsch | Catcher | Minnesota | Lo A | Midwest | Beloit | Not active | N |
| Wilson Tucker | Outfield | Kansas City | Lo A | Midwest | Burlington | Not active | N |
| Shawn Williams | DH | Tampa Bay | Hi A | New York-Penn | Hudson Valley | Not active | N |
| Chris Curley | Infield | Chicago WS | AAA | International | Charlotte | Free agent | N |
| Drew Erwin | Pitcher | Philadelphia | Rookie | Gulf Coast | GCL | Not active | N |
| Brett Holland | Pitcher | San Diego Padres | A | Northwest | Eugene | Not Active | N |
| A.J. Schugel | Pitcher | Pittsburgh Pirates | -- | MLB | Pittsburgh | Active | 2015-2016 |
| Ryan Court | 3B | Arizona Diamondbacks | AA | Mobile | Southern | Not active | N |
| Brad Delatte | Pitcher | Toronto Blue Jays | A | Northwest | Vancouver | Not active | N |
| Eric Brown | Pitcher | Toronto Blue Jays | A | Midwest | Lansing | Not active | N |
| Casey Selsor | Pitcher | Washington Nationals | A | New York-Penn | Auburn | Not active | N |
| Brett Kay | Shortstop | San Francisco Giants | A | Northwest League | Salem-Keizer Volacanoes | Not active | N |
| Matt Johnson | Outfield | Boston Red Sox | A | Carolina | Salem | Not active | N |
| Blaine Hardy | Pitcher | Detroit Tigers | -- | MLB | Detroit Tigers | Active | 2014-2016 |
| Michael Foster | Outfield | Chicago Cubs | Rookie | Arizona League | AZL Cubs | Active | N |
| Dylan Becker | 3B | St. Louis Cardinals | Rookie | Gulf Coast League | GCL Cardinals | Active | N |
| Jason Vosler | SS | Chicago Cubs | A | Carolina League | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Active | N |
| Alex Bautista | OF | Chicago Cubs | A | Northwest League | Eugene Emeralds | Active | N |
| Christian Correa | C | Houston Astros | A | Midwest League | Quad Cities River Bandits | Active | N |
| Jordan Serena | SS | Los Angeles Angels | A | Midwest League | Burlington Bees | Active | N |
References
- ↑ Millea, John (2004-07-27). "Fielding big dreams". Star Tribune.
- ↑ "Border Cats Staff". Thunder Bay Border Cats. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
- ↑ Milewski, Todd (2005-08-22). "Mallards Dethroned By Late Run". The Capital Times. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
External links
- Thunder Bay Border Cats - official site
- Northwoods League - official site