The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league's only Canadian team, their home games are played at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The Border Cats have been Northwoods League champions twice, defeating the Madison Mallards two games to one in both 2005 and 2008. They also were in the Northwoods League championship in 2006, but lost to the Rochester Honkers.
As of 2026, the Border Cats have sent 15 players to the major leagues. Matt Mangini was the first to make the jump, playing 11 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2011. Shortstop Jonathan Diaz followed two years later, playing four games with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. Diaz also spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, almost making the team out of spring training. Pitcher Blaine Hardy became a regular in the Detroit Tigers bullpen in 2014. Seth Frankoff pitched in one game for the Chicago Cubs, while A.J. Schugel spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Wes Parsons pitched a relief role.
The Border Cats sat out the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons due to "the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic regarding the Canada-US border closure as well as outdoor gathering numbers". A travel team known as the Minnesota Mud Puppies, based in the Twin Cities region, played the Border Cats' originally scheduled 36 road games during the 2021 season. The Border Cats ultimately returned for the 2023 season.
2009 All-Star Game
The 2009 Northwoods League All-Star Game was held on July 21 in Thunder Bay. This was the first time the All-Star game played in Canada. The guest speaker for the event was Ferguson Jenkins, a Canadian member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The game was won 4-2 by the South Division squad, led by the MVP performance of Kurtis Muller, who went 3-for-5.
Notable active alumni & those reaching Majors NamePositionTeamsStatusMLB YearsJonathan Diaz INF Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays Retired 2013-2015Matt Mangini INF Seattle Mariners Not active 2010A.J. Schugel RHP Pittsburgh Pirates Retired 2015-2017Ryan Court 3B Seattle Mariners Retired 2019Blaine Hardy RHP Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers Retired 2014-2021Jason Vosler SS San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners Active (AAA) 2021-2024Michael Papierski C Seattle Mariners Active (AAA) 2022Greg Weissert RP New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox Active (AAA) 2022-2024Wes Parsons RHP Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians Active (Released) 2018-2024Seth Frankoff RHP Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks Retired 2017-2021Jacob Robson OF Detroit Tigers Retired2021Matthew Batten 2B San Diego Padres Active (AAA) 2022-2024Penn Murfee RP Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox Active (AAA) 2022-2023Brandon Williamson SP Cincinnati Reds Active (IL) 2023-2024Billy Cook 1B Pittsburgh Pirates Active 2024-2025Andy Weber SS Amarillo (AA) Active N/A
Year-by-year records Year League Division W L W% Manager Playoffs 2003 Northwoods League North 31 33 .484 Mitch Dunn Did not qualify 2004 Northwoods League North 32 32 .500 Mitch Dunn Did not qualify 2005 Northwoods League North 44 24 .647 Chad Miller Won championship 2006 Northwoods League North 29 38 .433 John Herrera Lost final 2007 Northwoods League North 28 40 .412 Jared Manske Did not qualify 2008 Northwoods League North 42 26 .618 Devin McIntosh Won championship 2009 Northwoods League North 27 41 .397 Joel Barta Did not qualify 2010 Northwoods League North 31 38 .449 Mike Steed Did not qualify 2011 Northwoods League North 29 40 .420 Mike Steed Did not qualify 2012 Northwoods League North 32 37 .449 Andy Judkins Did not qualify 2013 Northwoods League North 21 49 .300 Dan Holcomb Did not qualify 2014 Northwoods League North 23 49 .319 John Hernandez Did not qualify 2015 Northwoods League North 33 38 .465 Danny Benedetti Did not qualify 2016 Northwoods League North 21 51 .282 Danny Benedetti Did not qualify 2017 Northwoods League North 27 43 .386 Mitch Feller Did not qualify 2018 Northwoods League North 22 50 .306 Mitch Feller Did not qualify 2019 Northwoods League Great Plains East 24 47 .338 Eric Vasquez Did not qualify 2023 Northwoods League Great Plains East 27 41 .397 J.M. Kelly Did not qualify 2024 Northwoods League Great Plains East 35 34 .507 J.M. Kelly Did not qualify 2025 Northwoods League Great Plains East 40 30 .571 Joe Ellison Did not qualify 2026 Northwoods League Great Plains East 27 41 .397 Joe Ellison Did not qualify TOTAL -- -- 625 822 .432 -- --
References
External links Thunder Bay Border Cats Northwoods League