12/04/2006 12:10 PM - Craig Hurba will trade his T-Bones maroon and black for Mariners blue and green this spring, as the catcher’s contract was purchased by the major-league Seattle club in late November. Hurba, the winner of the T-Bones’ 2006 Buck O’Neil Fan Favorite award, was named one of the 8 top prospects in all the independent leagues by Baseball America, the leading publication in minor-league baseball. The 25 year-old Bainbridge, NY native will report to Peoria, AZ with the rest of the Mariners pitchers and catchers for spring training on February 15th, 2007.

Hurba batted .269, hit 18 home runs (tied for second in the Northern League), and had 47 RBI for the T-Bones in his first season in Kansas City. He was named to the mid-season Northern League All-Star Game as well as earning post-season all-star honors.

Two other T-Bones players’ contracts were purchased by major league teams during the 2006 season: center-fielder Michael Spidale (Philadelphia Phillies) and pitcher Byron Embry (Seattle Mariners).