MWL1 Burlington Bees

2007 Bees Field Staff Announced

Published on November 16, 2006 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Burlington Bees News Release


Burlington, IA (November 16, 2006) "" Jim Gabella will return for his fourth season as the Burlington Bees' manager in 2007 as J.J. Piccolo, Kansas City Royals Director-Player Development, announced a majority of the organization's Minor League coaching and training staffs today. Pitching Coach Steve Luebber will return with Gabella for his second season with the Bees and in the Royals organization and will be joined on the staff by two new faces "" Hitting Coach Ryan Long and Athletic Trainer Yoshi Kitaura. A strength and conditioning coach will be named later.

Two familiar faces will not return in Hitting Coach Patrick Anderson and Athletic Trainer Mark Stubblefield. After five seasons with the Bees, Anderson has been named the hitting coach at short-season Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League and Stubblefield will move on to be the trainer for high-A Wilmington in the Carolina League after four seasons with the Bees.

Gabella is just three wins shy of claiming the top spot on the Bees' Midwest League managerial win list from his predecessor Joe Szekely (2001-03) and number four overall all-time. In three years under Gabella, the Bees are 185-232. Last year, he led the team to a 35-32 record in the first half, marking the team's first winning half since the second half of the 1999 MWL Championship season. Last year's team also set franchise records for fewest errors and fielding percentage under the former infielder.

Gabella will be the first four-year manager in the Bees' Midwest League history, dating back to 1962, and just the second to manager four consecutive seasons in the 85 years of professional baseball in Burlington. Ned Egan managed the Burlington Pathfinders from 1906-09 when the team played in the Iowa State League (1906-07) and Central Association ('08-09). Richard Rohn managed four full seasons and part of a fifth, also before World War I. Rohn managed from 1911-13 and again in 1915-16. Rohn lost his spot when Burlington lost baseball on July 20, 1916. On that day, the team shut down and moved to Ottumwa, Iowa for the rest of the year. This is also Gabella's fourth year as a member of the Royals organization. He came over after spending seven years as an area scout in Florida with the Cleveland Indians. Gabella also managed and coached in the Indians and Montreal Expos organizations. Gabella, his wife Cindy, and their son Cody moved to Burlington in 2005.

"We are very pleased to have Jim back for another season," Bees General Manager Chuck Brockett said. "Jim takes a lot of pride in being not only the manager of the Bees, but also a member of our community. With him as our manager again, we know the team will represent us and the Royals professionally on and off the field. I'm looking forward to him getting the wins record, and I hope it comes on our first home stand in April."

Luebber joined the Royals and the Bees last year after five years as the Double-A pitching coach with the Texas Rangers. Under Luebber, the Bees pitching staff finished fifth in the MWL with a 3.47 ERA which is also the team's best mark since 1990. Luebber pitched professionally for 17 seasons and posted a 6-10 record and a 4.62 ERA over 66 Major League appearances for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles. Luebber lives in Joplin, MO. His son Wyatt plays baseball for nearby Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL.

Long joins the Royals after spending the last six seasons as a hitting coach in the Chicago White Sox organization. Last year, he worked with the Winston-Salem Warthogs in the high-A Carolina League where he was on the same coaching staff as former Bees pitching coach J.R. Perdew. Long was a second-round draft pick of the Royals in 1991 and played 10 professional seasons. He appeared in six Major League games with the Royals in 1997 and collected his first hit and RBI against Seattle's Randy Johnson. Long resides in Pearland, TX with his wife Olivia.

Kitaura will be in his sixth season with the Royals organization. He joined the Royals in 2002 as a rehabilitation intern and then was hired in May, 2003 as the trainer for the Rookie Advanced Club in the Arizona League. He has spent the last three seasons serving as the trainer for short-season Idaho Falls. Kitaura received his Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Medicine from Central Michigan University and prior to joining the Royals had also done internships with HEALTHSOUTH Rehabilitation Center in Merritt Island, FL and the Detroit Tigers organization. He resides in Osaka, Japan.

Several other former Bees' staff members will continue to be with the Royals. Pitching Coach Tom Burgmeier (2003-05) and Hitting Coach Terry Bradshaw (2001) will once again be in Omaha with Manager Mike Jirschele whose son, Jeremy, played for the Bees last year. Pitching Coach Jose Bautista (2001-02) will be with the team's newest short-season affiliate in Burlington, NC this year after spending the last three years with short-season Idaho Falls.

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