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Former Burlington Bees Playing in World Series

ABC News

The Kansas City Royals surprised many in the sports world by making it to the World Series this year and as it turns out, a quarter of their roster have a direct connection to the tri-state region.

The Burlington Bees were the Class A affiliate for the Royals from 2001-2010 and six players on the Royals' World Series roster played in Community Field during that time.

  • Danny Duffy - P
  • Jarrod Dyson - OF
  • Kelvin Herrera - P
  • Eric Hosmer - 1B
  • Mike Moustakas - 3B
  • Salvador Perez - C

Twelve others on the rosters for the Royals and their opponents, the San Francisco Giants, played in the Midwest League, which is home to the Burlington Bees.
Chuck Brockett has been the General Manager of the Burlington Bees for 15 years.  He said it’s exciting to see his former players reach the World Series.

"It's one of those things where you really never know it until you see it," said Brockett. "You flip on and see what Moustakas and Hosmer and all those guys have done so far is amazing."

Brockett said it does not surprise him that Moustakas has played a key role in the postseason for the Royals, thinking back to his time in Burlington.

"He had just a mediocre first half, but in his second half, he had 16 home runs and more than 50 RBI's and hit over .300," said Brockett. "He can get streaky and can carry a team because he was just awesome during the playoffs for us (in 2008) when we went on to win the championship."

Brockett said he hopes to bring a least a couple of the former Burlington Bees back to southeast Iowa to celebrate their success.

He also hopes to be able to see them in person as he is working to secure World Series tickets.

Game 1 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants gets underway Tuesday evening.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.