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 | Eric Vasquez |
| Director of Baseball Operations | Rob Metzger [2] |
| League Championships | 2 (2005, 2008) |
| Division Championships | 3 (2005, 2006, 2008) |
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 2019, the Border Cats have sent six 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. Seth Frankoff pitched in one game for the Chicago Cubs, while A.J. Schugel spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Wes Parsons is currently with the Atlanta Braves in a relief role.
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 active alumni & those reaching AAA/Majors
| Name | Position | Pro Affiliate | Level | League | Team | Status | Majors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oney Guillen | INF | Chicago White Sox | AAA | International League | Charlotte | Not active | N |
| Zach Daeges | OF | Boston Red Sox | AAA | International League | Pawtucket Red Sox | Not active | N |
| Reid Mahon | RHP | Arizona Diamondbacks | AA | Southern League | Mobile | Not active | N |
| Matt Camp | OF | Chicago Cubs | AA | Southern League | Tennessee | Not active | N |
| Jonathan Diaz | INF | New York Yankees | AAA | International League | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | Not active | 2013-2015 |
| Scot Drucker | RHP | -- | IND | American Association | Grand Prairie | Not active | N |
| Marc Maddox | INF | Kansas City Royals | AAA | Pacific Coast League | Omaha | Not active | N |
| Matt Mangini | INF | Seattle Mariners | -- | MLB | Seattle | Not active | 2010 |
| Eric Wordekemper | RHP | -- | AAA | Mexican League | Olmecas de Tabasco | Not active | N |
| Craig Heyer | RHP | New York Yankees | AA | Eastern League | Trenton | Not active | N |
| Jon Mueller | RHP | Chicago Cubs | AAA | Pacific Coast League | Iowa | Not active | N |
| Chris Curley | INF | Chicago White Sox | AAA | International League | Charlotte | Not active | N |
| A.J. Schugel | RHP | Pittsburgh Pirates | -- | MLB | Pittsburgh | Not active | 2015-2017 |
| Ryan Court | 3B | Seattle Mariners | -- | MLB | Seattle Mariners | Active | 2019 |
| Matt Johnson | OF | Boston Red Sox | A | Carolina League | Salem | Not active | N |
| Blaine Hardy | RHP | Detroit Tigers | -- | MLB | Detroit Tigers | Active | 2014-2019 |
| Jason Vosler | SS | San Diego Padres | AAA | Pacific Coast League | El Paso Chihuahuas | Active | N |
| Donnie Sellers | RP | Toronto Blue Jays | A | Midwest League | Lansing Lugnuts | Active | N |
| Dan Rizzie | C | New York Mets | A | Florida State League | St. Lucie Mets | Active | N |
| Michael Papierski | C | Houston Astros | A | Carolina League | Faytetteville Woodpeckers | Active | N |
| Greg Weissert | RP | New York Yankees | A | Florida State League | Tampa Tarpons | Active | N |
| Cole Stapler | RHP | Arizona Diamondbacks | AA | Southern League | Jackson Generals | Active | N |
| Wes Parsons | RHP | Atlanta Braves | -- | MLB | Atlanta Braves | Active | 2018-2019 |
| Seth Frankoff | LF | Chicago Cubs | -- | MLB | Chicago Cubs | Korea | 2017 |
| Nate Nolan | C | Chicago White Sox | AA | Southern League | Birmingham Barons | Active | N |
| Jacob Robson | OF | Detroit Tigers | AAA | International League | Toledo Mudhens | Active | N |
| Jimmy Murphy | RHP | Baltimore Orioles | Rookie | Gulf Coast League | GCL Orioles | Active | N |
| Malik Jones | RHP | Oakland Athletics | Rookie | Arizona League | AZL Athletics Green | Active | N |
| Matthew Batten | 2B | San Diego Padres | AAA | International League | El Paso Chihuahuas | Active | N |
| Andrew Fregia | SS | Baltimore Orioles | A | New York-Penn League | Aberdeen Ironbirds | Active | N |
| Bobby Honeyman | 3B | Seattle Mariners | A | South Atlantic League | West Virginia Power | Active | N |
| Andy Weber | SS | Chicago Cubs | A | Midwest League | South Bend Cubs | Active | N |
Year-by-year records
| Year | League | Div. | W | L | W% | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Northwoods League | North | 31 | 33 | .484 | Mitch Dunn | -- |
| 2004 | Northwoods League | North | 32 | 32 | .500 | Mitch Dunn | -- |
| 2005 | Northwoods League | North | 44 | 24 | .647 | Chad Miller | Won championship |
| 2006 | Northwoods League | North | 29 | 38 | .433 | John Herrera | Lost final |
| 2007 | Northwoods League | North | 28 | 40 | .412 | Jared Manske | -- |
| 2008 | Northwoods League | North | 42 | 26 | .618 | Devin McIntosh | Won championship |
| 2009 | Northwoods League | North | 27 | 41 | .397 | Joel Barta | -- |
| 2010 | Northwoods League | North | 31 | 38 | .449 | Mike Steed | -- |
| 2011 | Northwoods League | North | 29 | 40 | .420 | Mike Steed | -- |
| 2012 | Northwoods League | North | 32 | 37 | .449 | Andy Judkins | -- |
| 2013 | Northwoods League | North | 21 | 49 | .300 | Dan Holcomb | -- |
| 2014 | Northwoods League | North | 23 | 49 | .319 | John Hernandez | -- |
| 2015 | Northwoods League | North | 33 | 38 | .465 | Danny Benedetti | -- |
| 2016 | Northwoods League | North | 21 | 51 | .282 | Danny Benedetti | -- |
| 2017 | Northwoods League | North | 27 | 43 | .386 | Mitch Feller | -- |
| 2018 | Northwoods League | North | 22 | 50 | .306 | Mitch Feller | -- |
| 2019 | Northwoods League | North | 24 | 47 | .338 | Eric Vasquez | -- |
| 2020 | Northwoods League | North | Mike Steed | -- | |||
| TOTAL | Northwoods League | North | 496 | 676 | .423 | -- | -- |
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.