Royals Farm Report: August 21, 2013
Matt Fields clubbed his thirtieth homerun of the season and the Naturals scored 21 runs last night.
The homerun, a line-drive over the field wall off of Springfield RHP Heath Wyatt, pushed the first baseman ahead of Clint Robinson on the Naturals Single-Season Homerun list. Robinson hit his 29th on September 3, 2010 which stood as part of his Texas League Triple Crown that year.
"Truthfully, it's a blessing," Fields told Jake Seiner of MiLB.com after the game. "It's the first season in the Minors where I actually hit 20-plus homers, and now I am at 30. For me to be where I was a few years ago and to be where I am now, it's amazing."
Naturals Matt Fields has had a remarkable run this season in Northwest Arkansas. The 27-year-old was signed out of the Independent Frontier League last season by the Royals and was promoted to Northwest Arkansas this season. He won the Tyson Foods Home Run Derby at the 77th Annual Texas League All-Star Game presented by Castrol on June 25th and currently leads the Texas League with 30 homeruns. (Photo: John Owen)
The offense, in 21-6 victory last night, came on 15 hits and 7 walks off of five of the six Cardinals pitchers the Naturals faced. The outburst broke the previous franchise record of 19 runs in a game, which most recently occurred on July 22, 2010 in North Little Rock. That contest, a 19-4 rout of the Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park, now has company as they largest margin of victory in Naturals history. The Naturals won each game by fifteen runs.
OF Lane Adams hit his fifth homerun as a Natural in the first inning. The three-run blast in the first inning accounted for half of Adams' team-leading six RBI on the night. At the end of the first the Naturals actually trailed 4-3, but four Naturals relievers did not allow an earned-run in five innings of work and watched the team put up six runs in the sixth, five in the eight, and seven in the ninth.
The team totaled 4 homeruns in the game, tying the franchise's long-standing record. 3B Cheslor Cuthbert and 2B/OF Whit Merrifield joined Adams and Field with three-run homeruns in the eighth and ninth inning respectively. Cuthbert's shot came on a 2-1 pitch when he was pinch-hitting for SS Orlando Calixte.
HEADLINES
ACE OF THE STORM: Former Naturals RHP Yordano Ventura has taken his place atop the Omaha Storm Chasers rotation this season. The 22-year old has posted ERAs over a full run lower in each successive month since his June promotion. In August, the flame-thrower is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 21 innings, allowing 11 walks and striking out 26 PCL batters.
PULLIN' THE TRIGGS: Wilmington's 24-year old RHP Andrew Triggs has allowed just three earned-runs since July 1st. Since then, the former USC Trojan is 3-1 with 3 saves across 24⅔ innings in relief, allowing 20 hits and 2 walks, recording 23 strikeouts. Triggs is set for a promotion to Northwest Arkansas tonight.
HAPPY HUNTING: Kansas City's First Round Draft Pick just over two months ago is making a splash in his first week in the South Atlantic League. Lexington's SS Hunter Dozier is 8-for-24 (.333) in his first 7 games with four doubles and five RBI. The 21-year-old was selected 8th overall out of Stephen F. Austin University.
OUT DULIN: 12th Round Pick from this year's draft 1B Brandon Dulin is enjoying a ten-game hitting streak for the Royals in the Arizona League. The 20-year-old Missouri-native 15-for-42 (.347) over the streak with five extra-base hits.
NATURALS ALUMNI: OF David Lough ('09) ranks fourth among American League Rookies with a .290 batting average. The 27-year-old has played all three outfield positions in 71 games for the Royals…Clint Robinson ('10) is on a 7-game hit streak for Class AAA-Buffalo. The Naturals former Triple Crown Winner and Inaugural Hall of Famer is 8-for-23 (.348) with 2 homeruns.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and proud host of the 77th Annual Texas League All Star Game. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, AR. For more information including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.