The Burlington Bees are a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team of the

Prospect League The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their colleg ...

. They are located in

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States ...

, and have played their home games at

Community Field Community Field is a stadium in Burlington, Iowa. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Burlington Bees collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. Occasionally, the stadium is used by the local high school ba ...

since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball's

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

from 1962 to 2020. With

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, Burlington was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball. The team was first known as the "Bees" from 1924 to 1932 and again from 1954 to 1981. The Bees nickname was revived for the 1993 season and remains to this day.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

inductees

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...

, Paul Molitor and Larry Walker played for Burlington.

History

The team began playing in Burlington in 1889 as the Burlington Babies. Teams with various nicknames played until the Burlington Pathfinders were named in 1906, keeping the nickname until 1916 and playing in the Central Association. After a hiatus, the Burlington Bees played in the

Mississippi Valley League The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...

from 1924 to 1932. The franchise then returned as the Burlington Indians in 1947, the same year that their current stadium,

, 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 The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. From 1963 through 1974 they were a farm team of the Kansas City (later Oakland) A's; subsequent affiliations included the Brewers (1975–81), Rangers (1982–85), Expos (1986–87 and 1993–94), Braves (1988–90),

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 afte ...

(1991–92), Giants (1995–96), Reds (1997–98), and

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1999–2000). The Bees have won the Midwest League Championship four times, in four different decades: 1965 (won both halves), 1977 (defeated Waterloo Indians), 1999 (defeated Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) and 2008 (defeated

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sun� ...

). Catcher Herbert Whitney of the Burlington Pathfinders was killed by a pitched ball in 1906. On June 26 in Waterloo, Iowa, Whitney was beaned by a pitch from Fred Evans of the Waterloo Microbes. He suffered a skull fracture and died that day as a result. The team was first known as the Bees from 1924 to 1932 and again from 1954 to 1981. Starting in 1982, they used the nickname of their major league parent club, before the current Bees nickname was revived for the 1993 season. In addition to Baseball Hall of Famers

, Paul Molitor and Larry Walker, many former Burlington players have enjoyed major league success including:

Sal Bando Salvatore Leonard Bando (born February 13, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from to , most prominently as the team captain for the Oakland Athleti ...

, Vida Blue (who struck out a team-record 231 batters in 1968), George Hendrick, Phil Garner, Chet Lemon,

Claudell Washington Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta Br ...

, Rubén Sierra,

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

, José Vidro, Ugueth Urbina,

Javy López Javier "Javy" López Torres (born November 5, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1992–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2004–2006) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He batted and threw right- ...

, Mark Buehrle, Mike Moustakas, and Salvador Pérez. Over 100 former Bees have played in the majors. In 2007, the Bees changed their logo and uniforms. Since 2000, the Bees have had three affiliates: the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

(2001–10),

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

(2011–12), and the Los Angeles Angels (2013–2020). Following the 2020 season, the Bees were cut from the Midwest League and affiliated baseball as part of

's reorganization of the minor leagues. They later joined the

, a

league, for 2021.

Ballpark

The Bees have called historic

, nicknamed "the hive", their home since 1947. The original grandstand portion of the stadium was destroyed in a 1971 fire and rebuilt. The stadium was upgraded again prior to the 2004 season, including a revamped concessions area, partial covering of the grandstand, improved sound system, and a new scoreboard. Named the 2013 "Field of the Year" in the state of Iowa by the Iowa Sports Turf Management Association, capital improvements are supported by The Friends of Community Field, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

No-hitters

Several Burlington pitchers have thrown no-hitters: * 6-4-1962 Pedro Tio, Quad Cities 13–0 7 innings * 8-14-1962 Charles Ling, Keokuk 6–0 * 5-6-1965 Don Pierce, Fox Cities 4–0 * 6-29-1965 George Bosworth, Cedar Rapids 3–0 * 6-19-1968 Vida Blue, Appleton 4–0 7 Innings * 7-20-1975 Abelino Pena Cedar Rapids 2–0 7 Innings Perfect Game * 8-5-1996 Jason Grote Clinton 8–0 * 5-6-1998 Lance Davis/Dan Timm Quad City 5–0 * 8-5-2003 Jonah Bayliss Peoria 1–0 * 4-12-2004 Dusty Hughes/Jake Mullis Wisconsin 3–0 * 6-30-2004 Chris Coughlin Beloit 3–0 Perfect game * 8-7-2008

Danny Duffy Daniel Richard Duffy (born December 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. After being drafted by the Royals in 2007, Duffy spent t ...

/Juan Abreu Peoria 10–0

Roster

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

* Larry Walker (1986) Inducted, 2020 * Paul Molitor (1977) Inducted, 2004 *

(1958) Inducted, 1987

Notable alumni

Jared Walsh Jared James Walsh (born July 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Walsh was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin and later moved to Georgia where he atte ...

(2016) MLB All-Star *

Max Muncy Maxwell Steven Muncy (born August 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Baylor Bears. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics i ...

(2012) MLB All-Star *

Addison Russell Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Base ...

(2012) MLB All-Star *

Zack Thornton Zachary James Thornton (born May 19, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the pitching coach for the UC Davis Aggies. Pitching for Oak Park High School, Thornton was All-State in California. At Ventura Co ...

(2011) * Salvador Pérez (2009) 3 x GG; 3 X MLB All-Star * Eric Hosmer (2009) * Mike Moustakas (2008) MLB All-Star * Mark Buehrle (1999) 4 x GG; 5 x MLB All-Star * Shawn Estes (1995) MLB All-Star * Jose Vidro (1993) 3 x MLB All-Star * Ugueth Urbina (1993) 2 x MLB All-Star: 1999 NL Saves Leader * Carlos Perez (1993) MLB All-Star *

(1990) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Mike Mordecai Michael Howard Mordecai (born December 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, and Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since 2010, he has worked in the Tor ...

(1989) * Mike Stanton (1988) MLB All-Star *

Kent Bottenfield Kent Dennis Bottenfield (born November 14, 1968) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Ana ...

(1987) MLB All-Star *

Mel Rojas Melquíades Rojas Medrano (born December 10, 1966) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher. From 1990 to 1999, he played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League a ...

(1987) MLB All-Star * Chad Kreuter (1985) * Mike Stanley (1985) MLB All-Star *

(1984) 5 x GG; 4 x MLB All-Star * Rubén Sierra (1984) 4 x MLB All-Star; 1989 AL RBI Leader * Randy Ready (1981) *

Bob McClure Robert Craig McClure (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1975 to 1993, most notably as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers with whom he ...

(1981) * Doug Jones (1979) 5 x MLB All-Star *

Moose Haas Bryan Edmund "Moose" Haas (born April 22, 1956) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 to 1987. He appeared in the 1982 World Series as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Haas initially sig ...

(1975) *

Dwayne Murphy Dwayne Keith Murphy (born March 18, 1955) is an American former player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder. During much of his time in Oakland, Murphy batted second in t ...

(1974) *

Matt Keough Matthew Lon Keough ( ; July 3, 1955 – May 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Oakland Athletics (1977–1983), New York Yankees (1983 ...

(1974) MLB All-Star *

Wayne Gross Wayne Dale Gross (born January 14, 1952), is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily as a third baseman from 1976-1986. Gross was named to the All-Star Game as a rookie in 1977 as a las ...

(1973–74) MLB All-Star * Chet Lemon (1973–74) 3 x MLB All-Star * Mike Norris (1973) 2 x GG; MLB All-Star *

(1973) 3 x MLB All-Star * Dan Ford (1971–72) * Phil Garner (1971) 3 x MLB All-Star * Glenn Abbott (1971) * George Hendrick (1968, 1970) 4 x MLB All-Star * Vida Blue (1968) 6 x MLB All-Star; 1971 AL Cy Young Award; 1971 AL Most Valuable Player *

(1965) 4 x MLB All-Star *

Gene Alley Leonard Eugene Alley (born July 10, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates from through . A two-time All-Star player, Alley was a ...

(1960) 2 x GG; 2 x MLB All-Star * Jim Brewer (1958) MLB All-Star *

George Altman George Lee Altman (born March 20, 1933) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who had a lengthy career in both Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. A three-time National League All-Star, he appeared in 991 ga ...

(1957) * Dave Stenhouse (1956) MLB All-Star * Johnny Vander Meer (1953 Player/MGR) * Lloyd Brown (1949) *

Hal Trosky Harold Arthur Trosky Sr. (born Harold Arthur Trojovsky; November 11, 1912 – June 18, 1979) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians (1933–1941) and the Chi ...

(1932) 1936 AL RBI Leader (162)

Players (1947–present)

* Burlington Indians (1947–49) * Burlington Flints (1952–53) * Burlington Bees (1954–81) * Burlington Rangers (1982–85) * Burlington Expos (1986–87) * Burlington Braves (1988–90) * Burlington Astros (1991–92) * Burlington Bees (1993–present)

References

Sources

* Dinda, J. (2003), "Burlington, Iowa, in the Midwest League,
Burlington, Iowa in the Midwest League , MWLguide.com

External links