T-Bones sign local catcher, add pitcher

Tbonesbaseball.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The Kansas City T-Bones announced they have signed catcher Bubby Williams and pitcher Kyle DeVore. 

Williams, who is 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, is a career .225 hitter with 183 hits and 98 RBIs in five professional seasons.

He played in 27 games with the T-Bones in 2012, batting .311 with a .567 slugging percentage. Williams, who’s from Blue Springs, Mo., began his professional career as an 11th-round selection by the Houston Astros in the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft.

He reached single-A with the Astros before playing for independent teams in 2012 and ’13.

“Bubby is a solid defensive catcher who will compete for one of two catching spots,” said T-Bones manager John Massarelli.

DeVore, a 6-foot-3 and 220-pound right-hander from Sacramento, Calif., was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 27th round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Sacramento City College.

He played single-A with the Rangers in 2011 and ’12, before spending last season with San Rafael of the independent Pacific Association. In three professional seasons, DeVore is 11-6 with a 3.45 ERA, 142 strikeouts and 36 walks in 177 1/3 innings.

“Kyle is a big, strong right-handed pitcher who could compete for a spot in the rotation or is versatile enough to be a late-innings guy out of the bullpen,” Massarelli said.

Also on Thursday, the T-Bones placed Trevor Coleman on irrevocable waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.