MWL1 Burlington Bees

Royals Name Jim Gabella Bees Field Manager

Published on February 4, 2004 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Burlington Bees News Release


Burlington, IA – The Burlington Bees will have a new manager for the first time in four years as the Kansas City Royals have hired Jim Gabella and assigned him to skipper its Midwest League club in 2004. Gabella replaces Joe Szekely, who was the first three-year manager in the Bees' Midwest League history dating back to 1962. Szekely compiled a 187-234 record over his three seasons and led the team to one playoff appearance in 2002. Szekely will serve as the Royals' Roving Catching Instructor for the first part of 2004 and manage the organization's new short-season affiliate in Idaho Falls starting in late June. The rest of the field staff will be familiar to Bees fans as Hitting Coach Patrick Anderson, Pitching Coach Tom Burgmeier, and trainer Mark Stubblefield all return.

Gabella joins the Royals' after serving as the South Florida area scout for the Cleveland Indians since 1997. He also managed and coached in the Cleveland Indians system for six years from 1989-94 with stops in Burlington, Watertown, Colorado Springs, and Canton-Akron and with the Montreal Expos in Vermont and the Gulf Coast League from 1995-96. In '95, he was voted the New York-Penn League's Manager of the Year after leading the Expos to a league-best 49-27 record. Gabella also worked as an area scout with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1985-88 and was responsible for signing Gary Sheffield among others. As a player from 1976-80, he spent time in the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners organization as well as the Independent Rocky Mountain Pines League. As of Opening Day, Gabella will have coached in all three Burlingtons in the minor leagues (Vermont, North Carolina, and Iowa).

Anderson returns for his third season as Bees pitching coach and his fourth year with the Royals' organization. Under Anderson's watch, the Bees have finished in the top half of the Midwest League in batting in each of the last two seasons. Prior to joining the Royals organization, Anderson was an assistant coach at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY for three years.

Burgmeier returns for his second season with the Bees and his eighth as a minor league pitching coach with the Royals. He was the Royals' Major League bullpen coach from 1998-2000 and spent the 1997 season as the Royals Video Scouting coordinator. Burgmeier served as the pitching coach with Bowie, the Baltimore Orioles Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League from 2001-02 prior to joining the Bees staff. Burgmeier played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues and compiled a 79-55 record with 102 saves and a 3.32 ERA with California, Kansas City, Minnesota, Boston, and Oakland and made one All-Star appearance with Boston in 1980.

Stubblefield also returns for his second season with the Bees and his third in the Royals organization after working in Spokane in 2002.

The Bees will open the season at home on Thursday, April 8th at 7:00 PM against the Kane County Cougars. The first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative Paul Molitor Hall of Fame magnet schedule sponsored by Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream. Season ticket plans are available. Fans can contact the Bees' front office at (319) 754-5705 for more information, or to place an order.

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Midwest League Stories from February 4, 2004


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