Burlington Bees

Burlington Bees Founded in 1924 Burlington, Iowa
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Single-A
Minor league affiliations
League	Midwest League (1962–present)
Division	Western Division
Previous leagues	Three-I League (1952–1961) Central Association (1947–1949) Mississippi Valley League (1924–1932)
Major league affiliations
Current	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2013–present)
Previous	Oakland Athletics (2011–2012) Kansas City Royals (2001–2010) Chicago White Sox (1999–2000) Cincinnati Reds (1997–1998) San Francisco Giants (1995–1996) Montreal Expos (1993–1994, 1986–87) Houston Astros (1991–1992) Atlanta Braves (1988–1990) Texas Rangers (1982–1985) Milwaukee Brewers (1975–1981) Kansas City Athletics / Oakland Athletics (1963–1974) Pittsburgh Pirates (1962)
Minor league titles
League titles (6)	1949 1965 1977 1999 2008 2009
Team data
Nickname	Burlington Bees (1954-1981, 1993–present)
Previous names	Burlington Astros (1991–1992) Burlington Braves (1988–1990) Burlington Expos (1986–1987) Burlington Rangers (1982–1985) Burlington Flints (1952–1953) Burlington Indians (1947–1949)
Ballpark	Community Field (1947–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	City of Burlington, Iowa
Manager	Chad Tracy
General Manager	Chuck Brockett

The Burlington Bees are a Class A minor league baseball team, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with whom they signed a 2-year player development contract on September 25, 2012. The Bees 2012 affiliate was the Angels rival Oakland Athletics.The Bees play in the Midwest League. Their home is in Burlington, Iowa.

History

The team began playing in the Central Association of Professional Baseball as the Burlington Indians in 1947, the same year that their stadium, Community Field, was opened. They won the league championship in 1949, their third and final year in the Central Association. The team joined the Three-I (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana) League in 1952 as the Burlington Flints but was renamed the Bees in 1954. In 1958, Billy Williams played 61 games with the Bees before joining the Cubs. Burlington joined the Midwest League in 1962 as a farm team of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but that affiliation lasted only one season. From 1963 through 1974 they were a farm team of the Kansas City (later Oakland) A's; subsequent affiliations included the Brewers (1975–81), the Rangers (1982–85), the Expos (1986–87 and 1993–94), the Braves (1988–90), the Astros (1991–92), the Giants (1995–96), the Reds (1997–98), and the White Sox (1999–2000). The Bees won the Midwest League championship in 1965, 1977, 1999, 2008, and 2009.

The Burlington Bees play the Swing of the Quad Cities in this July 2004 game at Burlington Community Field.

The team was known as the Bees from 1962–81, but starting with the 1982 season they used the nickname of their major league parent club. The Bees nickname was revived for the 1993 season.

In addition to Billy Williams, the first Bee inducted into the Hall of Fame, former players who have enjoyed major league success include Sal Bando, Vida Blue (who struck out a team-record 231 batters in 1968), George Hendrick, Phil Garner, Chet Lemon, Claudell Washington, Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, Randy Ready, Larry Walker, Rubén Sierra, Kenny Rogers, José Vidro, Ugueth Urbina, Javy López, Mark Buehrle, Mike Mordecai, Shawn Estes and Ruben Gotay. In total 159 former Bees have played in the majors, including 35 on active rosters in 2004.

Their home park is Community Field, built in 1947 and rebuilt after a 1971 fire. The franchise attendance record of 83,927 was set in 1994. The stadium was upgraded for the 2004 season, including a revamped concessions area, a partial covering of the grandstand, an improvement in the sound system, and a new scoreboard. In 2007, the Bees changed their logo and uniforms. Since 2007 the Bees have had 3 affiliates, the Kansas City Royals (2001–2010), the Oakland Athletics (2011–2012), and the current affiliate Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2013–present). The Bees have also released their 2014 Season Schedule in which they play Opening Day against the Beloit Snappers on April 3, 2014.

Current roster

Burlington Bees roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 45 Alfonso Alcantara 33 Alan Busenitz 31 Ben Carlson 26 Michael Clevinger 11 Harrison Cooney 23 Ryan Etsell 27 Trevor Foss 46 Eswarlin Jimenez 34 Joey Krehbiel 22 Garrett Nuss 30 Clint Sharp 36 Michael Smith		Catchers 12 Anthony Bemboom  6 Ryan Dalton  9 Stephen McGee Infielders 29 Eric Aguilera 21 Kody Eaves  2 Kirby Pellant 28 Angel Rosa 14 Erick Salcedo Outfielders  7 Mike Fish 18 Chad Hinshaw 19 Ranyelmy Mendoza 25 Mark Shannon		Manager -- Chad Tracy Coaches -- Vacant (pitching) 6 Ryan Barba (hitting) 10px 7-day disabled list * On Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated December 26, 2015 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim minor league players

Former players

• Burlington Bees (1993—)
• Burlington Astros (1992-1992)
• Burlington Braves (1988–1990)
• Burlington Expos (1986–1987)
• Burlington Rangers (1982–1985)
• Burlington Bees (1954–1981)
• Burlington Flints (1952–1953)
• Burlington Indians (1947–1949)

Team Affiliations

Level	Team	League	Location
MLB	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	American League	Los Angeles, CA
AAA	Salt Lake Bees	Pacific Coast League	Salt Lake City, UT
AA	Arkansas Travelers	Texas League	Little Rock, AR
A+	Inland Empire 66ers	California League	San Bernardino, CA
A	Burlington Bees	Midwest League	Burlington, IA
Rookie	Orem Owlz	Pioneer League	Orem, UT
Rookie	AZL Angels	Arizona League	Tempe, AZ

Sources

• Dinda, J. (2003), "Burlington, Iowa, in the Midwest League," http://www.mwlguide.com/cities/burlington/index.html

External links

• Official Burlington Bees website