KANSAS CITY, Kan.– The Kansas City T-Bones announced today that the club has signed left-handed pitcher Eric Stout and right-handed pitcher Adam Atkins for the 2019 season.

Lefty Eric Stout spent all of 2018 with the Kansas City Royals organization including making his Major League debut on April 25, 2018 against Milwaukee. He was released by Kansas City on September 10, 2018 and would sign a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres on January 24, 2019 and receive an invite to spring training. Stout would appear in three games with the Padres giving up four earned runs in three innings with three strike outs. The Padres released Stout on March 27th from their AAA roster at El Paso in the Pacific Coast League.

Stout would open the 2018 season at AAA Omaha in the Pacific Coast League making five appearances in relief giving up four earned runs in 7.1 inning with a 4.70 ERA. Stout would hold opponents to a .214 average in his first stay at AAA. He would get called up on April 25th and work 0.2 innings against the Brewers. He allowed two hits with one earned run and a walk but recorded a strike out of Christian Yelich on three pitches. Stout would pitch in one more game on April 28th before being sent back to AAA Omaha. Then on May 26th he would get recalled to the Major Leagues and make a relief appearance for the Royals on the road at Texas on May 27th. He would be optioned back to Omaha on May 28th after giving up three earned runs in a third of an inning on three hits. With the big club he would make three total relief appearances in 2.1 innings, giving up six earned runs, striking out two and surrendering seven hits.

At AAA Omaha Stout appeared in 38 games making two starts and notching four saves on the season for the Storm Chasers. He would post a 3-3 record with a 4.75 ERA in 55 innings giving up 29 earned runs on 70 hits with 44 strike outs and only 13 walks. In 2017 Stout would spend the entire season at AAA Omaha going 5-2 with five saves in 44 relief outings and one start. Stout set a career high in games pitched with 45. He would toss 69.1 innings punching out 56 giving up 23 earned runs on 58 hits. He would lead the team in games pitched and all relievers in innings pitched. His ERA was third among relievers on the club.

Stout ranked third among Pacific Coast League relievers with a .227 opponents’ average (58-for-255) and finished by stranding 21 of his 24 inherited baserunners, including all 21 over his final 33 outings of the season. Stout got off to a hot start with Omaha winning his first five decisions of the year, posting a 2.41 ERA (15 ER in 56.0 IP) over his first 35 outings, through the end of July. That stretch included pitching a career-high 3.2 innings of relief on June 23 vs. Memphis, allowing no runs on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Stout held left-handed hitters to a .193 batting average (16-for-83), which included just five extra-base hits (.301 SLG) while also holding opponents to a .157 average (11-for-70) with runners in scoring position. The Royals added Stout to the 40 man roster following his breakout season in 2017.

Stout spent all of 2016 at AA Northwest Arkansas in the Texas League, tying for fifth in the Texas League in appearances (42) and tied for fourth in wins (6) among the league’s relievers. He would put up a 6-4 record with two saves striking out 69 in 72.1 innings for the Naturals. Stout held left-handed hitters to a .181 average (17-for-94) with just three extra-base hits (.245 SLG). Stout would be rewarded in the fall by pitching for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League in 2016, posting a 2.77 ERA (4 ER in 13.0 IP) with six walks and 14 strikeouts in nine appearances.

The 2015 season saw Stout 2015 make stops at four different minor league levels. The majority of his time was spent at low A Lexington in the South Atlantic League. He worked in 16 games out of the bull pen notching three saves with a 3.26 ERA. At rookie level Arizona the lefty worked in 4.2 innings not giving up a run in two games and another 2.2 innings at rookie level Idaho Falls of the Pioneer League. Stout would post a 3.38 ERA at Idaho Falls. He added another one game at AA Northwest Arkansas tossing 2.1 relief innings gibing up two earned runs. For the season Stout would have a 3.15 ERA combined at all four stops. Stout would make his pro debut at Idaho Falls in 2014 posting a 5-2 record in 13 games making one start and saving one game. In 32.2 innings he would surrender 32 hits and 13 earned runs a fanning 27.

Stout was the Royals 13th round pick in 2014 out of Butler University where he played three seasons before being drafted after in junior season. His final season at Butler he led the team in starts going 3-7 with 6.78 ERA. Stout led the team with 67.2 innings pitched and in strikeouts with 64. He finished the year ranked fourth in the BIG EAST Conference with 64 strikeouts and picked up his lone save in his only relief outing. In his 2013 Sophomore season Stout became the top pitcher in the weekend rotation going 8-5 on the hill with a 5.21 ERA. He pitched two complete games and ended the year with two shutouts while leading the team in innings pitched (84.2). Stout would also finish the year with a team-high 56 strikeouts while holding the opposition to a .284 batting average. He would start the season 0-3 but the fire off five-straight wins on the mound. His Freshman season he also started on the weekends and saw action as an outfielder for the Bulldogs.

Stout was a two-year letter-winner in high school at St. Francis High School and an All-State honoree. He went 10-3 with a 1.61 ERA and 131 strikeouts during his senior season and was voted 2011 Suburban Christian Conference Player of the Year. Stout also earned all-state honorable mention notice from Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times and was named all-conference twice. His Senior year Stout was voted St. Francis Male Athlete of the Year… He also batted .422 with four home runs his final season and owns the school’s single-game record with 16 strikeouts. Stout could also contribute on the hardwood where he played two seasons of basketball and was a state finalist in the IHSA 3-point Shooting Championship.

Right-handed Texan Adam Atkins comes to Kansas City from the New York Mets organization where he was the 18th round pick in 2016 in the MLB June draft out of Louisiana Tech University. He signed this past off season with the Minnesota Twins on a minor league deal and went to spring training but was released on March 21 by AAA Rochester by the Twins. With the Mets in 2018 Atkins spent the majority of his time at high A St. Lucie in the Florida State League where he went 3-3 with a 2.17 ERA in 58 innings of relief. He would notch five saves for the Mets while adding 64 strike outs on the season. He would surrender just 14 earned runs on 41 hits while walking 18. Atkins would toss 4.1 innings at AA Binghamton in the Eastern League during the last two weeks of the season. In two games the right-hander struck out four giving up a pair of earned runs on six hits.

The 2017 season saw Atkins again spend time at two stops in the Mets organization. He would open the season at high A St. Lucie but spend the bulk of his time at low A Columbia in the South Atlantic League. At St. Lucie Atkins worked in five games posting a 7.71 ERA in seven innings of relief. He would strike out eight and walk three while giving up 14 hits and six earned runs. With Columbia he had a stellar season. He would toss 31.1 innings with a 0.86 ERA in 23 games out of the pen. Atkins picked up a 3-0 record for the Fireflies striking out 29 batters and giving up just three earned runs and issuing only four walks on the season.

Atkins spent his rookie season at short season A Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League in 2016. He would put up a 3.71 ERA in 19 relief appearances over 17 innings for the Cyclones. Atkins struck out 22 while giving up nine earned runs on 16 hits. While a member of the Mets organization Atkins was a teammate of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow with 2017 Columbia Fireflies club in the South Atlantic League.

As a senior at LA Tech ranked Atkins ranked first on the Bulldogs’ pitching staff with a 1.20 ERA and nine saves in 24 relief appearances on the mound and finishing fourth in saves in Conference USA. He would post a 6-1 record with three wins coming in C-USA games and ranked third in the league with 19 games finished for the Bulldogs. Atkins nine saves was good for second all-time in a single season at LA Tech and his 16 career saves over his final two seasons placed him third all-time in program history.

Atkins played two seasons at Panola College making 17 appearances on the mound in 2014, including one start as a sophomore at Panola compiling a 3-5 record with four saves in 38.2 innings pitched. He would strike out 32 batters with a 2.79 ERA for the Ponies. His Freshman season, Atkins posted a 2.97 ERA in 18 total appearances on the mound as a while striking out 22 batters in 30.1 innings pitched. Atkins played his high school ball at South Grand Prairie High School in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas, under head coach Dennis Pelfrey. Pelfrey now serves as the Manager of the Florence Freedom in the Frontier League and is a former independent league player. Atkins was named all-district as a senior for the Warriors in 2012 after recording a 1.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts and just nine walks in 53.0 innings on the mound.

Full and half-season 2019 ticket packages as well as mini plans are on sale now online by calling (913) 328-5618 or by visiting the Saint Luke’s Box Office between the hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Group ticket sales are also on sale now. Opening day for the T-Bones is set for Friday, May 17th at T-Bones Stadium when the T-Bones host the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to open the 2019 season.

For additional information or interview requests, members of the media may contact the T-Bones Media Relations Department at (817) 739-3693. Stay tuned to www.tbonesbaseball.com. and the T-Bones Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the season.

By Dan Vaughn