It’s just an hour’s drive between CommunityAmerica Ballpark and Phil Welch Stadium, but this summer they were worlds apart. The Kansas City T-Bones became champions of the Northern League, while St. Joseph’s old ballpark was idle.

Rick Muntean hopes that all changes next summer. The five-year general manager of the Northern League champion T-Bones has been named chief executive officer and general manager of the St. Joe Mustangs.

Dan Gerson announced it Friday, explaining that Muntean will have a minority ownership stake in the Mustangs and handle the team’s day-to-day operations. He begins his duties officially on Sunday at the MINK League meeting at Terrible’s St. Joe Frontier Casino.

“I’m really excited Mr. Muntean will be joining the Mustangs as the chief executive officer,” Gerson said. “When I came to St. Joe I promised everybody a first-class organization, and hopefully this will be a big part in bringing St. Joseph a team they can be proud of.”

Muntean has a long background in baseball. He’s been in the front office for 26 years, serving the last five as vice president and general manager of the highly successful T-Bones. Prior to that, he served for 15 years in the front office of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate.

Muntean has been known for creating a fun family atmosphere and off-the-wall promotions.

“It’s part of the minor league baseball lore, the wacky and crazy promotions we’ve been able to develop over the years,” Muntean said. “We’ll definitely be able to bring about some of that.”

Gerson and Muntean became acquainted about four years ago during a T-Bones season ticket purchase and became good friends.

That friendship, Muntean said, led to his consideration of taking a job with a college-level summer team after spending years in professional baseball.

“I wanted to work with Dan,” said Muntean, who had not yet begun negotiations on next year’s contract with the T-Bones. “We really hit it off. He asked me a year ago that if he was able to put together a team in St. Joe, but it wasn’t a professional team, would it bother me.

“No, it’s really the same thing,” Muntean continued. “It’s going to be a different kind of a challenge for me, but I think it’s going to work. It’s still baseball.”

Muntean acknowledged that he faces a challenge in turning around St. Joseph fans’ perception of summer baseball after the ill-fated two-year stint of the St. Joe Blacksnakes in the American Association.

“We’re anticipating having to prove ourselves, not only to people involved at the sponsorship level, but people who are season ticket holders and those buying the tickets,” Muntean said. “When we open the gates, you are going to be able to count on it being a good experience, and we really do care about the fan. Our No. 1 priority is going to be the fan.”

Muntean will handle day-to-day operations of the team, working from a temporary office being set up outside Phil Welch Stadium. Gerson said work on a permanent office at the stadium is expected to begin around the first of the year.

Sports reporter Rick Dunaway can be

reached at rickd@npgco.com