2025 in Review: Hitting
TL Northwest Arkansas Naturals

2025 in Review: Hitting

Published on October 10, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


The Naturals' offense was one of the best in the Texas League in 2025, led early by a prospect-laden lineup. The club's .254 batting average was behind only the Amarillo Sod Poodles and Wichita Wind Surge for the best in the league, while their 651 runs scored were the fourth-most. NWA led the circuit with 34 triples, placed third with 217 doubles, and finished second in stolen bases with 202.

Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone started the year with the Naturals, playing in 38 games for the club and showing why he was one of the top prospects in baseball. In his limited NWA run, Cags had a .322 batting average with nine homers and 43 RBI, good enough to finish fifth on the Naturals roster for the entire season. The first baseman turned outfielder went to Omaha before making his Major League debut with the Kansas City Royals this year. Another player who made their big-league debut in 2025 was catcher Carter Jensen, who logged 68 games in NWA. The 2025 All-Star Futures Game participant hit .292 with six home runs while earning a Texas League All-Star nod as the league's top catcher for his efforts.

Outfielder Gavin Cross put together a phenomenal season as well. The slugger finished with a career-high 17 home runs, tied for the fifth-most in the league. He also finished seventh in RBI (64) and extra-base hits (43) while placing third in runs scored (75) and eighth in total bases (192). Over 56 games from July 1 through the end of the season, Cross hit .297 with nine home runs, 33 RBI, 41 runs, and 19 stolen bases while posting an .852 OPS as a key part of NWA's lineup.

No one on the team played in more games than outfielder Spencer Nivens. After a slow start, Nivens came on strong, finishing with a .250 average and six home runs, leading the club in walks with 70, the fifth-most in a single season in Nats history. Shortstop Dustin Dickerson took the field for NWA 100 times, working 60 walks with five home runs, including a walk-off blast against Wichita in June. Infielder Javier Vaz was back at Arvest Ballpark and walked 54 times, bringing his NWA career total to 142, the second-most in a Naturals career. Vaz also hit .256 with just 43 strikeouts, stealing 25 bases.

Brett Squires started the year in right field before taking over as the full-time first baseman, but the lefty was an extra-base hit machine. He led the team with 26 doubles and eight triples, while being one of just two Naturals hitters to reach double-digit home runs with 10. Squires tied for the Double-A lead in triples while leading the Texas League in the stat.

The Naturals enjoyed the company of a pair of rehabbing big leaguers on offense in 2025 as well. OF Mark Canha joined the team in for three games in Wichita, hitting a grand slam as part of a two-hit day on August 8. Michael Massey returned to NWA for the second-straight year, playing in three games for the Naturals after he was in the opening day lineup in 2024.

The rehabbers weren't the only players on the roster with service time, either. Third baseman Jordan Groshans joined the team, a one-time top prospect in baseball who played for the Marlins in 2022. Groshans played in 59 games while hitting .291. Shortstop Isan Díaz was signed as a free agent from the Mexican League and was with the club for 16 games before he was promoted to AAA Omaha. Díaz brought 153 games of MLB experience to the Nats after stints with Miami, San Francisco, and Detroit from 2019 through 2023. Even in his short time, Isan hit four home runs and two doubles out of his 18 hits.

Speaking of players signed out of free agency from the Mexican League, outfielder Rudy Martin was back with the Naturals after stints in 2018 and 2021 with the club. The Memphis, TN native wreaked havoc on the basepaths, finishing third in the league with 39 stolen bases. Martin played in 66 games, while Bill Knight (ARK) and Taylor Young (TUL) each played in 127 games or more in 2025 while finishing with 44 stolen bases to tie for the league lead.

Another speedy outfielder, Carson Roccaforte, came to town via promotion from High-A Quad Cities and Naturals fans learned why he's a top prospect in the system. Roc tracked down balls in center field with ease, but his .290 batting average and five home runs were a great jolt to the offense. Peyton Wilson didn't just jolt the offense; he set it on fire to start the season. Returning for his third year with NWA, Wilson wasn't around long. He mashed his way to AAA Omaha with a .392 batting average over his first 19 games, hitting two home runs with four triples and eight doubles. Wilson had 29 hits over that stretch including a team-high 15-game streak that was only equaled by Cross' streak in late August through early September.

Infielders Justin Johnson and Sam Ruta showed their power during the season. Johnson more than doubled his career-high in home runs with eight. Ruta, a West Point Academy graduate, was signed a month before the season and made his professional debut with the Naturals. Ruta took the task in stride, playing in 73 games while collecting 15 doubles and six home runs.

Other infielders, such as Colton Becker and Daniel Vazquez, could be fun players to watch in 2026 if they return to Northwest Arkansas. Becker appeared in 21 games for the Nats, swiping 15 bases while hitting .386 in his limited run in AA.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from October 10, 2025


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