Royals select Hogs' Brett Eibner
It was the second time the 21-year old Eibner has been selected in the draft. He was drafted by the Houston Astros out of high school in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, but did not sign and attended the University of Arkansas. He was a two-way player for the Diamond Hogs, but was drafted as a pitcher.
Hailing from Houston, TX, Eibner batted .337 with 21 homers and 67 RBI this season for the Hogs and was 3-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 14 appearances, including 11 starts.
The Royals also nabbed other SEC talent during the first 15 rounds of Tuesday's proceedings. They selected left-handed pitcher Kevin Chapman from the University of Florida with the fourth pick of the fourth round (119th overall selection). They also selected right fielder Whitley Merrifield from South Carolina in the ninth round (269th overall selection) and center fielder Tim Ferguson from Ole Miss in the tenth round (299th overall selection).
This marked the second straight draft that the Royals have tabbed a reliever from the Florida Gators. Patrick Keating, who joined the Naturals last weekend, was the Royals' 20th round pick in last year's draft. This year's draft has been very heavy on pitching. The Royals have selected just five position players, including three shortstops, among their first 15 picks.
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. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.