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Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Former Travelers 3B Smith joins Naturals

April 9, 2009 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SAN ANTONIO, TX - The Kansas City Royals have assigned veteran slugging third baseman Corey Smith to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Smith, the 26-year-old Piscataway, NJ resident, was originally assigned to Triple-A Omaha but receives the re-assignment after the Royals acquired another third baseman, Travis Metcalf, in a trade with the Texas Rangers. Metcalf, a former Kansas Jayhawk who has portions of two seasons of big league experience, will become the primary third baseman for Omaha.

Smith, a former first-round selection of the Cleveland Indians in 2000, played most of last season with the Naturals' primary Texas League rivals, the Arkansas Travelers. He hit .271 and drove in 80 runs while hitting 26 home runs, which tied him with former Natural Kila Ka'aihue for the league lead. Smith also played in seven games with the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Triple-A affiliate.

The Royals signed Smith in November to a minor league contract, which also included an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Smith hit .316 with a homer and eight RBI in 19 at-bats with the Royals in big league camp.

To make room for Smith, the Naturals placed infielder Ed Lucas (right calf strain) on the seven-day disabled list after placing southpaw reliever Dan Cevette on the disabled list Wednesday. The Naturals roster now stands at the Texas League limit of 24 active players.

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 home opener is Thursday, April 16th against the San Antonio Missions. 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.

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