Royals Name Colon as Naturals' POY
Colon saw his season end prematurely in mid-August due to a right eye injury after batting .412 in five games for Triple-A Omaha. He was the club's first round pick (fourth overall) in 2010 out of Cal-State-Fullerton. The infielder hit .289 with five home runs and 12 stolen bases in 73 games with the Naturals.
Mariot, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Omaha, went 6-3 with one save and a 3.40 ERA in 31 games, including 14 starts for the Naturals. He led the team in ERA, wins, and innings pitched (113.2) at the time of his promotion to Omaha. He made his first appearance in Triple-A on August 28 throwing five shutout innings against the Memphis Red Birds.
Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi were named player and pitcher of the year for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. The 22-year-old, Odorizzi is 11-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the playoff-bound Storm Chasers after going 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA in seven starts with Northwest Arkansas (AA) to begin the campaign. Odorizzi's 15 combined victories are tied for the second-most in the minors. He started for the U.S. squad in the SiriusXM MLB All-Star Futures Game this July at Kauffman Stadium, tossing an inning. Odorizzi, who was acquired with shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010, was the 2011 Wilmington Pitcher of the Year.
Myers, like Odorizzi, began the 2012 season with Northwest Arkansas. After batting .343 with 13 home runs and 30 RBI in 35 games, the Royals third-round selection from 2009 was promoted to Omaha where he is hitting .293 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI in 95 games. The 2010 Burlington (IA) Player of the Year's 36 combined home runs are the second-most in the minor leagues while his 105 RBI place him seventh. An outfielder on the 12-member All-PCL team, Myers also competed in the SiriusXM MLB All-Star Futures Game this July at Kauffman Stadium, was named the "Star of Stars" at the Triple-A All-Star Game and is a finalist for USA Today Minor League Player of the Year.
Yordano Ventura was named as Class-A Advanced Wilmington's Pitcher of the Year. The 21-year-old, who started and tossed a scoreless inning for the World team in the SiriusXM MLB All-Star Futures Game this July at Kauffman Stadium, is currently pitching with Northwest Arkansas. He opened the 2012 season with Wilmington, posting a 3-5 record with a 3.30 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 98 in 76.1 innings. Since being promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas the right-hander has gone 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA, striking out 22 in 23.1 innings of work. The five-foot-11 Ventura was signed out of Samana, Dominican Republic, as a non-drafted free agent on October 8, 2008.
Whit Merrifield, 23, is the Wilmington Player of the Year. Now at Northwest Arkansas, the former national champion from the University of South Carolina hit .258 with 20 doubles, eight homers, 59 runs scored and 25 stolen bases in 30 attempts in 101 games for the Blue Rocks. He has hit .260 with a home run and seven RBI since being promoted to the Naturals. Merrifield, who has played extensively in both the infield and outfield, was the Royals' ninth-round pick in the 2010 Draft.
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.