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06/16/2009 1:23 PM ET
Four Naturals, Coach Carter named as All-Stars
All-Star Game to be held July 1st in Frisco, TX
By Frank Novak / Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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 Pitching Coach Larry Carter has coached or played in the Texas League during 11 different Texas League seasons. (Tom Ewart)
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Four players plus Pitching Coach Larry Carter will represent the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at the Texas League All-Star Game, Wednesday, July 1st in Frisco, TX.
Tom Kayser, Texas League President, announced the rosters last night and the Naturals' All-Stars will join their fellow players from the North Division as they face off against the Texas League's South Division.
OF Jordan Parraz and 3B Corey Smith were voted in as starters for the North Division. Parraz, the 24-year old Henderson, NV resident, is batting .357 with four homers and 37 RBI in 57 games this season. His batting average currently ranks third in the league and his .454 on-base percentage ranks him first in the loop. Acquired by the Kansas City Royals from the Houston Astros' organization as the player to be named in an early-December trade that sent left-hander Tyler Lumsden to the Astros, Parraz has been one of the most clutch performers for the Naturals, batting .433 with runners in scoring position. Parraz has been named to two All-Star teams in his career; most recently he was named as a Carolina League Post-Season All-Star after a solid 2008 season with Advanced Class-A Salem.
Smith, the 27-year old Piscataway, NJ resident is in his second consecutive season in the Texas League after coming to the Royals as a minor league free agent following his 2008 campaign in the Los Angeles Angels organization, where he spent most of the year with the rival Arkansas Travelers. Smith is batting .248 with a team-leading 12 homers and 44 RBI to go along with eight stolen bases. His bat appears to be heating up with the weather as he has 10 of his 12 homers since early May. Smith last made an All-Star team in 2006, when he was selected to the Southern League's mid-season All-Star team.
2B Kurt Mertins was named as an All-Star reserve. Mertins, a 23-year old from Placentia, CA, is in his first season with the Naturals and is batting .298 with a homer and 28 RBI. Mertins has been particularly adept against left-handed pitching, batting .358 with 10 RBI in just 67 at-bats, and also has a .297 batting average with runners on-base. Mertins was a 13th round selection of the Royals in 2006 and is an All-Star for the first time.
Outfielder Cody Strait was also named to the All-Star team as a replacement for injured Travelers' outfielder Peter Bourjos. Strait, the 26-year old from Marble Falls, TX, came to the Royals' organization in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds on June 29th of last season. He's hitting .300 with four homers, 20 RBI, and eight stolen bases for the Naturals in his second foray into Double-A, having spent the first half of last season with Double-A Chattanooga. Originally a 12th round selection in 2004, Strait is an All-Star for the first time in his career this year.
Pitching Coach Larry Carter will also represent the Naturals. "LC" is in his eighth season as the pitching coach for the Royals' Double-A team after spending the six seasons with the Wichita Wranglers prior to the move to Springdale. The personable coach from Corinth, TX was honored in 2008 as the winner of the Mike Coolbaugh award for Texas League Coach of the Year. Carter will spend his 12th season in the Royals organization and is credited with assisting some of the Royals' brightest young arms including Royals' phenom Zach Greinke.
The 24-man All-Star rosters were selected by the Texas League President as well as the league's managers, coaches, radio broadcasters, and newspaper beat writers. The remainder of the rosters can be viewed on the Texas League's official website, www.texas-league.com. For tickets to the All-Star game, visit the Frisco RoughRiders' website, www.ridersbaseball.com.
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, nwanaturals.com 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.
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