Naturals Spotlight: RHP Christian Binford
July 31, 2014 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
SPRINGDALE, AR - Naturals' starting pitcher Christian Binford is a 6'6" 217 lb. right-hander who has burst upon the scene in the Kansas City Royals organization. The 21-year-old born in Hagerstown, Maryland is having a fantastic 2014 season and is on the fast track to the big leagues.
Binford was drafted by the Royals in the 30th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he stood out as a high school pitcher. As a freshman, the intimidating righty threw a no-hitter in his first high school start back in 2008. And after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2009, he pitched to a 0.64 ERA in an impressive senior campaign. After weighing his options, Binford decided to sign with the Royals and pass on the opportunity to play at the University of Virginia.
Since then, Binford has thrown more like a 1st round draft pick throughout the minors. In 2012, he made eight rookie ball starts for the Burlington Royals of the Appalachian League, compiling a 2.03 ERA over 40 innings pitched. Last season, he went 8-7 for low-A Lexington with a 2.67 ERA and 130 strikeouts over 135 innings. He began the 2014 season in high-A Wilmington, going 5-4 over 14 starts with a 2.40 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 82.2 innings pitched.
The late-round stand out was called up to Northwest Arkansas in early July, making his first start for the Double-A club on July 5th and earning the win. He has made 5 starts for the Naturals, going 3-1 with an outstanding 2.15 ERA over the first 29.1 innings with the team.
Upon arriving with the Naturals, Binford was rewarded for his outstanding efforts when he was selected to represent the Royals at the MLB Futures Game taking place during the MLB All-Star break at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Not surprisingly, the right-hander cruised through a perfect inning in the third, striking out a batter in the process.
Binford has shown the ability to throw-strikes and keep hitters off balance so far with the Naturals, using all of his pitches to dominate lineups. At this pace, Binford seems to be closing in on an opportunity with the big league club. But for now, he will continue logging quality innings as the Naturals make their second half playoff push.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, AR. For more information including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.
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