SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of April 6th through April 12th in each of their respective Player Development Leagues and Naturals’ center fielder Carson Roccaforte was named the Texas League Player of the Week for his performance last week at Arvest Ballpark against Amarillo.
In six home games in Amarillo, he hit .367 (8-for-22) with three home runs, three doubles, a triple, nine runs scored, five RBI, and drew six walks as Northwest Arkansas won four of six games against the Sod Poodles. Roccaforte, the former 66th overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, ranks as the Royals’ 18th ranked prospect in their system according to MLB Pipeline.
The leadoff hitter is currently slashing .281/.395/.719 with an OPS of 1.114 through the first nine games. Roccaforte has reached base in every game and leads the team in runs (10), total bases (23), walks (8), slugging (.719), OPS (1.114), and is tied for the team lead in triples (1).
It is the 46th time in franchise history that a Naturals’ player has won the league’s Player of the Week award, the last being outfielder Gavin Cross last August after a road series in Amarillo.
Left-hander Kade Anderson of the Arkansas Travelers (Double-A Seattle Mariners) was named the Texas League’s Pitcher of the Week, after striking out 11 and not allowing a hit in five shutout innings against the Wichita Wind Surge on Friday, April 10th.
The Naturals are in Corpus Christi this week for a series against the Hooks before returning to Arvest Ballpark for 12 games in 13 days (April 21-May 3) against Wichita and then Springfield.