Blackwell is PTBNL in Royals trade

BURLINGTON, Iowa -- RHP Chad Blackwell, the Burlington Bees top relief pitcher in 2005, has been announced as the player to be named later in the trade that sent another former Bee, RHP Jonah Bayliss, from the Kansas City Royals to the Pittsburgh Pirates for LHP Mark Redman last week.

Blackwell posted a 7-4 record and a 2.23 ERA in 48 appearances to lead the team last year. He also led the team with 14 saves, which ranks him tenth on the Bees' single-season list, and converted ten consecutive save chances from May 27th - July 27th. His seven wins also ranked second on the staff and he was the team's Pitcher of the Month for June. Blackwell was promoted to High Desert in the California League on September 3rd to finish the season. The Royals originally selected Blackwell in the 6th round of the 2004 draft out of the University of South Carolina.

Bayliss pitched with the Bees in 2003 and went 7-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 26 starts. He finished third in the Midwest League with 133 strikeouts, was selected to the All-Star team at mid-season, and pitched a no-hitter against the Peoria Chiefs on August 5th at Community Field. Bayliss was 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA and eight saves in 30 relief appearances for Wichita this past season and made his Major League debut on June 21st against the Chicago White Sox. Bayliss made eleven total appearances with the Royals this year. Bayliss was busy this fall. He pitched with the Surprise Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League and with Team USA at the 2005 CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament in November. Team USA went 6-0 to advance to the next tournament to be held in Havana, Cuba next year.

For more information about the Royals, come ask John Wathan at the Bees' Winter Banquet on Friday, January 13th at Pzazz. Wathan is a former player, manager, and broadcaster with the Royals and currently works in the front office in special assignments for scouting and player development. Wathan was a member of the Royals only World Series Champion team in 1985 and has been part of the organization for 30 years. For Winter Banquet ticket information, fans can call the front office at (319) 754-5705.