Windy City Thunderbolts Manager Joins Arizona Winter League as Team Manager
October 13, 2011 - North American League (NAmL) News Release
(San Ramon, CA. October 13, 2011) The Arizona Winter League announced today that Morgan Burkhart, former Boston big leaguer and current Manager of the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League, will be back as a manager/instructor for the 2012 Arizona Winter League that runs from Jan. 29th to March 1st. Burhart will manage a team and will be looking for talent similar to last season when he signed five players for his Calgary Vipers - all of whom made his pro team and played in 2011 for Calgary and were some of the top young players in the North American League.
Burkhart played for the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters from 1995 to '98 and was named the league's MVP three times. He had a .353 career average in the league and his 36 home runs in 1998, when he won the triple crown, still stands a single-season league record. The Frontier League's MVP Award is named after him. He went on to play with the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals in the major leagues and then went on to a minor league coaching and managing career after his playing days were done. He made his managerial debut with the Calgary Vipers in 2009 and has spent the past three seasons managing the club, including making the playoffs all three years and winning one Golden League Championship. Last year he managed in the Arizona Winter League in the off season and signed five players that played for his Calgary Vipers and will be looking to add similar talent for Windy City this year.
More info on the Arizona Winter League can be found at www.arizonawinterleague.com.
• Discuss this story on the North American League message board...
North American League Stories from October 13, 2011
- Four Caps Take Home All-Star Honours - Edmonton Capitals
- Windy City Thunderbolts Manager Joins Arizona Winter League as Team Manager - NAmL
- North American League Announces All-Star Honors - NAmL
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
