Frontier League Professional Baseball

The Chicago sports scene has witnessed some magnificent trios in their prime. The 1985 Bears were led to a victory in Super Bowl XX by McMahon, Payton and Singletary. The 1995-96 Bulls had a record 72 wins with Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman leading the way. The 2010 ThunderBolts are looking to use some of that magic with the announcement of Mejia, Restko, and Sullivan returning for another season. These three stars have all signed their contracts for the 2010 season.

Second baseman Gilberto Mejia has been a key piece to the ThunderBolts roster since 2007. In his 3 seasons with the franchise, he has boasted a .295 batting average with 104 stolen bases. Gilberto was a Frontier League All-Star in 2008 and 2009. Last season, the second baseman batted .324 which was seventh in the League. Gilberto, a resident of the Dominican Republic, was the 2009 League leader in stolen bases and triples, with 47 and 10 respectively. The switch-hitter advanced as high as AA with the Detroit Tigers organization in 2005. Mejia is an experienced veteran and looks to be an important table setter once again in 2010.

J.T. Restko, the product of local Marist High School, will once again be covering the first base duties for the ThunderBolts. Restko was a 10th round selection by the Florida Marlins in 2003. His best season was in 2005, where he had a .313 average with 15 home runs and 70 runs batted in for the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League. The 2009 Frontier League All-Star had a .334 batting average, which was fourth in the Frontier League. The 6’5” righty had big power numbers for the ThunderBolts last season with 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in. J.T. should be a reliable force in the middle of the lineup.

The third member of the trio is outfielder Mike Sullivan. Sullivan was selected in the 2006 draft by the Detroit Tigers. He spent two years in their organization before finding his way to the Frontier League. After starting the 2008 season with the Evansville Otters, the ThunderBolts acquired the lefty batter at the 2008 All-Star break as a free agent. He batted .363 and helped lead Windy City to a championship in 2008. Sullivan’s 2009 season was shortened due to a shoulder injury. He only played in 14 games, but did bat .360 with 16 runs batted in. Sullivan looks to have a healthy and productive 2010 season in Crestwood.

ThunderBolts field manager Mike Kashirsky was excited when he found out a core of his line-up was returning in 2010. Kashirsky, said, “Three great players and leaders are returning in 2010. It is going to be a privilege to manage three outstanding people. Mejia, Sullivan, and Restko are unbelievable teammates that make everyone around them better."

Although comparing Mejia, Restko, and Sullivan to six of the greatest athletes to ever grace the city of Chicago may be a stretch, the fact of the matter is that these three are just as important as the ThunderBolts chase their third Frontier League title in 2010.

The Windy City ThunderBolts open to the 2010 season on Thursday, May 20th @ 7:05 p.m. against the Kalamazoo Kings at Standard Bank Stadium. For more information, visit us on the web at www.wcthunderbolts.com or contact the ThunderBolts box office at 708-489-BALL. Fans can send email inquiries to info@wcthunderbolts.com.