SPRINGDALE, AR - The Naturals’ parent club, the Kansas City Royals announced a pair transactions on Wednesday morning affecting the Northwest Arkansas roster.  Outfielder Wil Myers has been promoted to Triple-A Omaha, and outfielder Nick Van Stratten has been transferred from Extended Spring Training to Northwest Arkansas.

Myers spent the early part of the 2012 season terrorizing Texas League pitching.  At the time of his promotion he ranked tops in the league in hitting at .343, extra base hits (25), and runs scored with (32) second in home runs (13), third in RBI (30), second in hits (46).

The outfielder leaves Northwest Arkansas with 21 career home runs with the Naturals.  The 21 home runs tie him for the sixth most in Naturals history with Corey Smith, and current Kansas City Royal Mike Moustaksas.  Myers was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2009 draft.

Odorizzi, 22, leaves Northwest Arkansas with a 4-2 record and 3.32 ERA in seven starts.  He is second in the Texas League in strikeouts (47) and fourth in WHIP (0.97).  He has been most impressive over his last four starts, going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 27.1 innings for a 1.98 ERA while fanning 33.  Odorizzi has limited opposing hitters to a collective .191 batting average through his first seven assignments.  He was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010, along with Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.  Odorizzi was the 32^nd overall pick of the Brewers in the 2008 First Year Player Draft and he also had a taste of big league spring training this year as a non-roster invitee.

Nick Van Stratten returns to Northwest Arkansas after starting the season in extended spring training, after suffering a spring injury.  Van Stratten spent parts of the last two seasons in Northwest Arkansas appearing in 68 games in 2011, and 86 games in 2010.  The outfielder’s best year in Double-A came in 2010 when he hit .262 with two home runs and 34 RBI for the Naturals.  Van Stratten was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the tenth round of the 2006 draft.

Van Stratten will wear number nine for the Naturals, and there is another number change to report as Ethan Hollingsworth will now wear number 36.  Following the transaction, the Naturals’ roster is at the Texas League limit of 25 active players.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

SPRINGDALE, AR – Naturals’ right-hander Jake Odorizzi has been selected as the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the period of April 30^th-May 6^th, Texas League President Tom Kayser announced Monday.

The Highland, Illinois resident has both set and tied the Naturals franchise record for strikeouts in a game with 11 on two different occasions.  The first 11 strikeout performance came on April 23 against Springfield.  In his most recent start against the North Division leading Tulsa Drillers on May 5, he again fanned 11.  Odorizzi threw seven and a third innings allowing just two hits and one earned run.

Odorizzi is 3-2 on the season and is leading the starting staff in ERA (3.48), innings pitched (31.0), and strikeouts (40).  His 40 strikeouts are ranked third in the Texas League.

Cody Decker of the San Antonio Missions was named as the Player of the Week for the Texas League.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Naturals’ outfielder Wil Myers has been selected as the Texas League Player of the Week for the period of April 23^rd-29^th, Texas League President Tom Kayser announced Monday.

The 21-year old Thomasville, NC resident hit safely in all six games he played in the past week, and hit .556 (10-for-18) with two home runs, six RBI’s, three walks, and two stolen bases.  A Texas League All-Star last season, Myers is batting .354 with six home runs and 14 RBI’s in his second season with Northwest Arkansas.

The Kansas City Royals’ third-best prospect overall according to Baseball America, Myers is taking home a player of the week award in the Texas League for the first time.

Tulsa Drillers starting pitcher Dan Houston was named as the league’s pitcher of the week.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Naturals’ INF Bianchi claimed by Cubs

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Kansas City Royals announced Friday that Naturals infielder Jeff Bianchi has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

A second-round pick by the Royals in 2005, the 25-year old Bianchi spent the entire 2011 season with the Naturals, where he batted .259 with two home runs and 48 RBI in 119 games. The Lancaster, PA resident also spent the second half of the 2009 season with the Naturals and batted .315 with five homers and 42 RBI in 68 games but missed the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during Spring Training.

Bianchi, who will occupy a spot on the Cubs’ 40-man Major League roster, was designated for assignment by the Royals on November 30^th to clear a space for new reliever Jonathan Broxton. In 2012, Bianchi is likely to draw an assignment to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, or their Double-A Tennessee affiliate in the Southern League.

He departs the Naturals organization ranking sixth all-time on the franchise list of games played (187), sixth in at-bats (714), sixth in runs scored (105), tied for fifth in hits (200), third in doubles (40), and seventh in RBI (90). In 490 career minor league games over six seasons, Bianchi has a .281 average with 31 homers and 251 runs batted in.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Royals add ex-Cardinal Eric Duncan
Former first-round pick spent 2011 with Springfield

SPRINGDALE, AR – Baseball Prospectus correspondent Kevin Goldstein reported Wednesday that the Kansas City Royals have signed veteran Eric Duncan to a minor league contract for the 2012 season.

Duncan, a 26-year old resident of Florham Park, NJ, spent 2011 with the Springfield Cardinals after being released by the Colorado Rockies organization following spring training. He joined Springfield in mid-April to serve in a utility role but ended up playing in 103 games for the Cardinals, batting .274 with 22 homers and 62 RBI’s, ranking second on Springfield in homers and third in RBI’s last season. Defensively, Duncan provided a ton of versatility for Springfield skipper Pop Warner, appearing defensively at first base, second base, third base, and left field.

Originally the New York Yankees’ first round selection (27^th overall) in the 2003 draft, Duncan was a highly touted third-base prospect in the Yankees’ organization and prior to the 2005 season ranked as the 36^th-best prospect in all of baseball. However, he struggled to a .226 average in portions of four Triple-A seasons and was released by the Yankees following the 2009 season.

He spent the 2010 season playing for the Mississippi Braves, Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate. Duncan will report to spring training and compete for a job with Triple-A Omaha, but could possibly see time in Northwest Arkansas in 2012.

In nine minor league seasons Duncan owns a .248 batting average with 105 homers and 491 RBI’s in 954 games.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Eric Hosmer has received the call to come to the big leagues. The following is the press release from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Former Natural Hosmer Called Up To KC
Top prospect’s big-league debut imminent

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Kansas City Royals have selected the contract of first baseman Eric Hosmer from Triple-A Omaha, meaning that the former Natural and highly-rated prospect could make his Major League debut as early as Friday.

The 21-year-old Hosmer was rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Royals’ system and the No. 8 overall prospect entering the 2011 season. Hosmer clearly accelerated his timetable by hitting .439 with a .525 on-base percentage, five doubles and three home runs in 28 games with the Storm Chasers, walking (16) as often than he struck out (16).

Drafted 3^rd overall by the Royals in the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Hosmer joined the Naturals in July, 2010 after beginning the season with Advanced Class-A Wilmington. In 50 regular-season Texas League games, Hosmer hit .313 with 13 home runs and 35 runs batted in. Hosmer then led the Naturals with six home runs during the team’s postseason championship run.

The Royals also announced that to make room on their 25-man roster for Hosmer, former Natural Kila Ka’aihue has been optioned to Omaha. Ka’aihue has been with the Royals all season and batted .195 with two homers and six RBI’s in 23 games.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.