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 32nd 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.
