Thunder Bay Border Cats
| Thunder Bay Border Cats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Northwoods League |
| Location | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Ballpark | Port Arthur Stadium |
| Founded | 2003[1] |
| League championships | 2 (2005, 2008) |
| Division championships | 3 (2005, 2006, 2008) |
| Colors | Red, black |
| Mascot | Boomer |
| Manager | Mike Tallari |
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.[2]
As of 2024, the Border Cats have sent 14 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 Toronto Blue Jays in a relief role.
The Border Cats sat out the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons due to "the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic regarding the Canada-US border closure as well as outdoor gathering numbers".[3] A travel team known as the Minnesota Mud Puppies, based in the Twin Cities region, played the Border Cats' originally scheduled 36 road games during the 2021 season.[4] The Border Cats ultimately returned for the 2023 season.[5]
2009 All-Star Game[edit]
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 Majors[edit]
| Name | Position | Teams | Status | MLB Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Diaz | INF | Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays | Retired | 2013-2015 | |
| Matt Mangini | INF | Seattle Mariners | Not active | 2010 | |
| A.J. Schugel | RHP | Pittsburgh Pirates | Retired | 2015-2017 | |
| Ryan Court | 3B | Seattle Mariners | Retired | 2019 | |
| Blaine Hardy | RHP | Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers | Retired | 2014-2021 | |
| Jason Vosler | SS | San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds | Active (AAA) | 2021-2023 | |
| Michael Papierski | C | Seattle Mariners | Active (AAA) | 2022 | |
| Greg Weissert | RP | New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox | Active | 2022-2024 | |
| Wes Parsons | RHP | Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians | Active | 2018-2024 | |
| Seth Frankoff | RHP | Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks | Retired | 2017-2021 | |
| Jacob Robson | OF | Detroit Tigers | Retired | 2021 | |
| Matthew Batten | 2B | San Diego Padres | Active (AAA) | 2022-2024 | |
| Penn Murfee | RP | Seattle Mariners | Active (IL) | 2022-2023 | |
| Brandon Williamson | SP | Cincinnati Reds | Active (IL) | 2023 | |
| Andy Weber | SS | Reno (AAA, IL) | Active | N/A |
Year-by-year records[edit]
| 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 | Great Plains East | 24 | 47 | .338 | Eric Vasquez | -- |
| 2023 | Northwoods League | Great Plains East | 27 | 41 | .397 | J.M. Kelly | -- |
| TOTAL | Northwoods League | North/Great Plains East | 523 | 718 | .421 | -- | -- |
References[edit]
- ^ Millea, John (July 27, 2004). "Fielding big dreams". Star Tribune.
- ^ Milewski, Todd (August 22, 2005). "Mallards Dethroned By Late Run". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (March 5, 2021). "Thunder Bay drops out of 2021 Northwoods League season". Ballpark Digest. August Publications.
- ^ "Minnesota Mud Puppies". Northwoods League. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Border Cats return to field with commanding win". www.tbnewswatch.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.