Walters Sold to Royals
June 14, 2017 - American Association (AA)
Kansas City Monarchs News Release
*WICHITA, Kan.*- The Kansas City T-Bones announced that the club has sold the contract of infielder Zach Walters to the Kansas City Royals and that he will report to the Class AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Texas League.
Walters joined the T-Bones on May 26th and instantly paid dividends for Kansas City. In his first game, he launched a solo home run at CHS Field in St. Paul against the Saint Paul Saints. He would go on to hit safely in 17 of 18 games he played in, going 26-for-75 with six home runs, 20 RBIs and a .347 average. Walters was on a current 12-game hitting streak for the T-Bones with five multi-hit games.
"It is a thrill, when players get that (second) opportunity as it why independent baseball is set up," said T-Bones Manager Joe Calfapietra. "It is a scramble when it happens, and when guys go they are your better players, but playing at the ultimate level is what we are all here for."
T-Bones Vice President and General Manager Chris Browne added, "I've got to give credit to Joe Calfapietra for bringing Zach to the T-Bones. This a terrific opportunity for Walters with the Royals going forward. In the end, this a success story for the T-Bones, our community and fans. We wish Zach all the best!"
Walters, who lives in Las Vegas has reached the Major Leagues with three separate organizations in his career. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth round in 2010 out of the University of San Diego. He was traded to the Washington Nationals and made the steady climb up the Nationals organizational ladder reaching both AA and AAA in 2012 and opened 2013 in AAA Syracuse before being called up to the big club later that season. He would play in eight games with an RBI.
Walters spent most of 2014 at AAA but saw another stint with the Nationals in 2014 playing in 32 games, hitting .205. On July 31, 2014, Walters was traded to Cleveland and saw time at AAA Columbus. Again, Walters was promoted to the Big Leagues and was in 30 games for the Indians. After designating Walters for assignment on April 3, 2016, the Indians traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was assigned to the AAA Oklahoma City.
Walters played in 94 games at OKC hitting at a .276 clip and played three games at the Major League level. The Cincinnati Reds signed Walters to a minor league contract where played in 11 games this season at AAA Louisville with a pair of RBIs while hitting .174 before his release.
The T-Bones close a four-game series and road trip Thursday night in Wichita and return home for a 10 game homestand starting Friday night at 7:05 pm against Salina. Hear all the action on the T-Bones Broadcast Network online at tbonesbaseball.com.
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