TEXAS LEAGUE

Baseball: Starling soaring after improvements at the plate

Outfielder Bubba Starling returns to Northwest Arkansas following a strong season with the Naturals. Starling is rated the No 3 prospect in the Kansas City Royals’ organization by Baseball America.
Outfielder Bubba Starling returns to Northwest Arkansas following a strong season with the Naturals. Starling is rated the No 3 prospect in the Kansas City Royals’ organization by Baseball America.

SPRINGDALE -- Bubba Starling will begin the season at Northwest Arkansas after spending part of spring training with the Kansas City Royals.

Mingling with the big boys is the reward Starling received after showing improvement at the plate in his fourth season as a professional baseball player. Starling, who chose a baseball career over a scholarship offer to play football at Nebraska, begins the year rated as the No. 3 prospect in the Royals' system by Baseball America.

Bubba Starling

TEAM Northwest Arkansas Naturals

POSITION Outfielder

AGE 23

HEIGHT 6-4

WEIGHT 210

NOTABLE Rated by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization after starting last season at No. 18. … Batted .254 at Northwest Arkansas and became the Naturals’ first player to hit for the cycle when he went 4 for 5 against Arkansas on July 28. … Selected fifth overall in the first round by the Royals in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. … A standout quarterback who rushed for 2,471 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior at Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.) High School.

At A Glance

Northwest Arkansas Naturals homestand

at Arvest Ballpark, Springdale

ON THE AIR KQSM-FM 92.1

ONLINE www.nwanaturals.com

Series Schedule

TODAY vs. Frisco, 6:25 p.m.

FRIDAY vs. Frisco, 7:05 p.m.

SATURDAY vs. Frisco, 6:05 p.m.

SUNDAY vs. Midland, 2:05 p.m.

MONDAY vs. Midland, 7:05 p.m.

TUESDAY vs. Midland, 7:06 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Off

This Week’s Promotions

TODAY Opening-night fireworks; Thirsty Thursday Buck Night

FRIDAY Strike, the mascot, birthday bash; postgame fireworks; Scout campout

SATURDAY Rally towel giveaway; Happy hour

SUNDAY Kids eat free family day

MONDAY Baseball bingo, $1 hot dogs

TUESDAY $4 group night

Ticket Packages (prices increase $1 on game day)

• Super Premium A $12

• Premium $10

• Reserved $8

• Grass Berm $7

• Super Premium Family $12

• Premium Family $10

That's a significant jump for the 23-year-old, who began last season as the No. 18 prospect in the Royals' minor-league organization. The Naturals open the season at 6:25 p.m. today against Frisco in Arvest Ballpark.

"(Starling) is athletic, and he can play defense," said J.J. Piccolo, assistant general manager in charge of player personnel for the Royals. "So, he's our type of player. He gives us the ability to score runs in different ways. That's where we have confidence in what he'll do in the future."

A defensive standout in center field, Starling compiled better statistics last season after hitting .218 with 150 strikeouts in 132 games with Class A-Advanced Wilmington in 2014. Starling hit .308 at Wilmington before he was quickly promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he batted .254 in 91 games. Starling reduced his strikeouts and hit 10 home runs and 19 doubles with 32 RBIs.

He flashed his big-league potential July 28 when he went 4 for 5 and hit for the cycle against Arkansas. He continued to show offensive improvement in the offseason when he batted .274 in 22 games in the Arizona Fall League.

"I just try to go out each day, put my work in and be a good teammate on the field," Starling said. "Being around veterans like Alex Liddi and Lane Adams, you learn from those guys. I've gotten better, and I just want to keep working hard."

Starling bypassed a chance to play football and baseball at Nebraska and signed with Kansas City after being selected in the first round in 2011. But even Starling questioned that decision on occasion after he struggled at the plate to begin his minor-league career.

"Definitely starting out there were some thoughts about football, especially when I was at my lowest points" said Starling, who was a standout quarterback in high school. "But I had a lot of great support from teammates and family to get me out of that frame of mind."

Starling's long-term goal is clearly on Kansas City once again and not Lincoln, Neb.

"If Bubba makes the same strides this year as he did last year, he's going to be knocking on the big leagues," Northwest Arkansas Manager Vance Wilson said. "The kid is a Gold Glove center fielder. I'd put him up against anybody in the big leagues right now. We're going to put him in the meat of our order and, hopefully, see the growth we saw last year from him."

Sports on 04/07/2016

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