KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The Kansas City T-Bones announced they have acquired relief pitcher Jonathan Kountis from Washington of the Frontier League in exchange for pitchers Andy Noga and Hamilton Bennett, and a player to be determined later.
Kountis, 26, is a 6-foot-3 and 215-pound right hander from Akron, Ohio. Last season with Washington, Kountis was selected as the Frontier League’s Relief Pitcher of the Year after going 1-4 with 32 saves and a 2.51 ERA in 41 appearances.
He had 50 strikeouts with 10 walks in 43 innings. The New York Mets selected Kountis in the 19th round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft out of Embry-Riddle University.
During five professional seasons in the Mets and Toronto minor-league systems, plus four teams in the independent Frontier League and American Association, including 2012 at Lake Erie with current T-Bones manager John Massarelli, Kountis is 9-14 with 53 saves and a 4.09 ERA in 123 games.
He has struck out 211 and walked 89 in 195 2/3 innings.
“Jonathan brings a power arm to the back end of the bullpen,” Massarelli said. “Royals fans know how important that can be.”
In 2014 with Kansas City, Noga went 2-6 with a 4.67 ERA in 23 appearances (17 starts). Bennett, whom the T-Bones signed midway through the 2014 season, had no decisions with a 10.06 ERA in 19 2/3 innings.
