PLAYERS TO WATCH: ROYALS SPRING TRAINING

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will look to provide fans insight on how some of their favorite former, current, and future Naturals are doing at Royals Spring Training. Here is a look at today's installment with updates through the fourth week of games in Surprise, Arizona.  All statistics are as of Thursday, March 14.

Kyle Zimmer (2016-17 Natural):
Zimmer, who was featured as one of the "7 feel-good stories from Spring Training" by MLB.com after battling injuries since being drafted 5^th overall in 2012 by the Royals. He spent his 2018 season-offseason at driveline baseball rebuilding his arm and it has proved beneficial.
This spring he has appeared in five games with a 1-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 5 Ks while only allowing five hits in his 7.2 innings of work. His last professional appearance was August 16, 2017 for Omaha, and he is vying for 2019 debut and a permanent spot in Kansas City.
Khalil Lee (2018 Natural):
Lee was selected as a 2018 Arizona Fall League Rising Star this offseason, and goes into this season as Kansas City's #2 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, and Baseball America also lists him as the 14^th best CF in a stacked MiLB group. Lee will still be 20 on Opening Day, and will be out to build on his prospect status.
He has proved why he is ranked so high at a young age, in his three games with the Royals this spring he is 4-for-7 (.571), with a 2B, SB, and has scored twice.
Erick Mejia (2018 Natural):
Mejia, the Naturals 2018 team leader in: Runs, Triples, Walks, and Stolen Bases, is 12-for-24 (.500) with 6 RBIs, 2 3B, 3 BBs, and a HR in his 15 games for the Royals this spring and owns a (.833) slugging percentage.
Mejia was named an All-Star in 2018 (NWA) and in 2016 (Rancho, LAD). He was acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Joakim Soria trade last offseason. Was invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Bubba Starling (2015-16 Natural):
Starling, the Royals 2012 MiLB Organization All Star, is 11-for-26 (.423) to continue his hot start to the spring. On Feb, 25^th he hit a pair of home runs against the Rockies, and has five extra base hits during spring training, with 6 RBIs, and has walked five times while scoring seven runs.
 Starling owns a career .986 fielding percentage over his 7 minor league seasons. He was drafted 5^th overall by the Royals in the 2011 June amateur draft, and chose baseball over playing QB with offers from nine colleges including Alabama and Nebraska.
Nicky Lopez (2017-18 Natural):
Lopez, who hit .331 in 73 games for the Naturals, is 11-for-35 (.314) scoring 7 runs and stealing 3 bases in his fifteen appearances.
Nicky is building on his strong 2018 Regular Season and Arizona Fall League campaign where he slashed .308/.382/.417 (AA-AAA) and .383/.433/.568 (AZL) respectively. On June 21^st last season Lopez hit for the natural cycle (single, double, triple, homerun in consecutive order) while going 5-6 and scoring 4 times in a 17-3 blowout win over Tulsa.
Jecksson Flores (2018 Natural):
Led the Naturals in Hits and Doubles last season. Flores, hit an inside-the-park home run against the White Sox last Monday afternoon at Camelback Ranch and finished 1-for-2 with a walk. Flores earned his first non-roster invite to Spring Training and has walked three time while going 7-for-21 (.333) with three extra-base hits in his eleven games.
Zach Lovvorn: (2017-18 Natural):
Last season for NWA Lovvorn owned a 4-3 record with a 4.80 ERA, and eventually earned a promotion to Omaha after posting a 2.25 ERA in his 12.0 innings to start the second half. During Spring Training Lovvorn has a 1.59 ERA in four games, striking out 3 hitters in his 5.2 innings of work.
Frank Schwindel (2016-17 Natural):
Schwindel, the Naturals 2016 HR leader (20), has had a hot start to the spring as well. Through his first 16 games he is hitting .323 (10-for-31) with 7 RBIs, a 2B, HR, and has come around to score seven times.
Last season at Omaha (AAA) Schwindel amassed 40 multi-hit games for the Storm Chasers while slashing .286/.336/.506 with 24 HRs and 93 RBIs in 134 games.
Richard Lovelady (2017 Natural):
Lovelady, 3-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 21 appearances for the Naturals, has only given up two runs in his five appearances this spring. Has a 3.00 ERA and 7 Ks over his 6.0 innings.
Samir Duenez (2016-18 Natural):
Duenez, a 2017 Texas League All-Star, enjoyed a hot start to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He went 4-for-9 (.444) with a 2B, RBI, 5 BBs and has score four times in his ten games played with an On-Base-Percentage of (.600) before being sent to minor league camp to finish the spring.
Scott Blewett (2018 Natural):
Blewett had his contract selected by the Royals in Nov. 2018 to join the 40man roster.
In his first outing on Tuesday, Feb. 26 against the Dodgers, Blewett picked up the win and went 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, scattering two hits. His second appearance came last Thursday against the Angels where he pitched a hitless eighth inning to keep his ERA at a perfect 0.00 in his 3.0 innings. Blewett finished his spring with a 0.00 ERA in three games only allowing four hits in his 5.0 innings of work before being assigned to start the season in Omaha.