TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Royals Sign C Peterson, Release RHP Nicoll

Published on December 16, 2010 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, AR - Baseball America has reported that the Royals have signed veteran minor league catcher Brian Peterson to a minor league contract for the 2011 season. They have also released former Naturals' right-hander Chris Nicoll.

Peterson is a 32-year old resident of West Harwich, MA and has ten seasons of minor league experience, with most of it having come at the Double-A level. He spent the 2010 season playing with Shreveport-Bossier in the unaffiliated American Association. In 675 games in the affiliated minor leagues, Peterson owns a .267 average with 32 homers and 244 runs batted in. He is a career .277 hitter in 405 games at the Double-A level, and has prior experience in the Texas League, playing in 24 games with the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2006 and batting .329 with three homers. He was also an All-Star in the Southern League in 2004 while with the Chattanooga Lookouts, then the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Besides the Reds, the well-traveled veteran backstop's career has included stops in the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Yankees' organizations. He may be a candidate to serve as a backup catcher and mentor for Kansas City Royals' prospect Salvador Perez on the 2011 Naturals. Perez is likely to serve as the Naturals' primary catcher to start next season.

Nicoll was the Royals' third round pick in the 2005 draft and missed the 2010 season following an injury sustained in winter ball last off-season. He was a mainstay in the Naturals' bullpen during the second-half of the 2008 season and the majority of the 2009 season, during which he earned an August promotion to Triple-A Omaha. He made 52 appearances, including one start, in a Naturals uniform, posting an 11-1 record with four saves and a 3.33 ERA.

A 27-year old resident of Whittier, CA, Nicoll fanned 113 batters and walked just 34 in 105 1/3 innings pitched. He owns a 23-20 record and 3.83 ERA in 123 career minor league apperances (52 starts). He is now a minor league free agent.

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 2011 season begins on Thursday, April 7th. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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