\'New Look' Travs Return to NW Arkansas
Published on July 14, 2008 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
The extra-inning game that saw the Arkansas Travelers prevail over the Springfield Cardinals on Tuesday, June 15th no doubt looms large in the minds of not just Travelers fans, but the other three teams in the Texas League as well. Especially being that the Travelers (LA Angels of Anaheim), who enter this series at 7-15 in the season's second half, have had to win two straight games against the first place Tulsa Drillers to get there. No matter - the Travelers, with that lone win on the 15th of June, already have dates circled on their calendars for September, as that win secured them a playoff berth.
The big question mark of this half facing the Naturals' foes from North Little Rock is, who will be around for that? Since leaving Springdale the last time, the Travs have lost Naturals-killing OF Jordan Czarniecki (.290, 3 HR, 9 RBI vs. NWA) and C/1B Ben Johnson (4 HR, 14 RBI vs. NWA) to promotions to AAA Salt Lake, and 1B Michael Collins (.304, 3 HR, 8 RBI vs. NWA), SS Hainley Statia (.281, 6 SB vs. NWA) and RHP Brok Butcher to injury. They even lost LHP Doug Brandt, who had six scoreless appearances against the Naturals earlier in the year, to the DL.
So, while the Naturals may have rid themselves of some familiar foes for this series, the Travelers still do have other players to contend with-headlined by the return of OF Chris Pettit (#19), who, along with RHP Steve Marek (#6), Statia (#11), and LHP Barret Browning (#20) make up the group of Angels prospects that are present on the Travs' roster. Pettit wowed scouts and baseball observers last season with torrid numbers at Low-A Cedar Rapids (.346, 9 HR, 41 RBI) and Advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga (.309, 9 HR, 54 RBI), numbers that earned him the Angels' organizational player of the year award. Despite 2007 being the first full-season in the pros for the 23-year old Pettit, a 19th round pick in 2006 out of Loyola Marymount, the Angels selected him to play last year in the prestigious Arizona Fall League and then assigned him to Arkansas to begin the 2008 campaign only to see him fall to injury on the first day of the season. Back on the active roster now, Pettit, who some compare to a young Eric Byrnes, is getting back to the grind and eager to tackle the Texas League.
They also have catcher Brian Walker, no stranger to most Northwest Arkansans as he played for the Arkansas Razorbacks just last year. He was originally promoted to the Travs' roster due to an injury shake-up in the Angels' higher levels, but another shake-up, which landed Tim Duff and Johnson, the both of them Travs' opening day catchers, in AAA Salt Lake, it seems "BWalk" is here to stay as he battles through struggles at the plate (.192) in the Texas League. During Walker's two months in the California League this spring the former Diamond Hog became a dominant force in the middle of the Quakes' order, hitting .283 with five homers and 21 RBI.
Pitching probables for this series will see Naturals righty Chris Nicoll face RHP Amalio Diaz, just called up from Advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday, then LHP John Bale (on an MLB rehab) face RHP Anthony Ortega on Tuesday. Wednesday will see rightly Julio Pimentel face Travs' righty Fernando Rodriguez, with RHP Leo Nunez (on a MLB rehab) starting for the Naturals on Thursday opposite RHP Robert Mosebach.
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 Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website also 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
Texas League Stories from July 14, 2008
- Naturals Edge Travs 2-1 On Richardson Homer - Arkansas Travelers
- Naturals Edge Travelers Monday - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Pitching duel ends in Frisco victory - Frisco RoughRiders
- Texas League update - TL1
- Royals' Relievers Bale, Nunez to Join Naturals This Week - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Amalio Diaz Joins Rotation, Butcher Disabled - Arkansas Travelers
- âNew Look' Travs Return to NW Arkansas - Arkansas Travelers
- Kaaihue, Richardson Named Co-Texas League Players of the Week - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- RockHounds Featured In Future Game - Midland RockHounds
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