LHP Kevin Chapman traded to Astros
Seeking catching depth following injuries sustained to a pair of former Naturals backstops - Salvador Perez and Manny Pina, the Royals acquire in exchange Astros' veteran catcher Humberto Quintero and outfielder Jason Bourgeois. The Royals will also send a minor league player to be named later to the Astros organization.
A resident of Coral Springs, FL, the 24-year old Chapman is a hard-throwing left-handed relief prospect who was the Royals' fourth-round selection in the 2010 draft out of the University of Florida. He split last season between Advanced Class-A Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas, making 25 appearances for the Naturals and posting a 1-2 record and a 4.99 ERA with three saves. He fanned 50 batters in just 40 innings. Baseball America ranked him as the Royals' 18th best prospect in their recent publication.
Both Quintero and Bourgeois are likely to be members of the Royals' big league club. Chapman, who was a candidate to be in the Naturals' bullpen to start the 2012 season, still could find himself at Arvest Ballpark for Opening Night, possibly as a member of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros' Double-A affiliate who will play Northwest Arkansas on April 12th. If that occurred, Chapman would become the first former Natural to appear at Arvest Ballpark wearing another team's uniform.
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.