KC Royals will play exhibition game against Double-A Northwest Arkansas: details
The Kansas City Royals are hitting the road for spring training in a few weeks. They will head to Surprise, Arizona in February to prepare for the 2024 season.
Royals pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout on Feb. 14, and the team’s first full-squad workout will be Feb. 19.
The Royals begin Cactus League play on Feb. 23 against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.
Fans can attend games throughout spring training. The Royals will play 31 games in the Cactus League. Their final spring training game will be March 23 against the Rangers.
The Royals will make a pit stop before heading home. KC will play an exhibition game against its Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, on March 25.
The exhibition game is set for 6:05 p.m. CT at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark.
“Northwest Arkansas has been such a great partner for 15 years, so we are happy to be able to play this exhibition game in front of their fans,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said in a news release. “We were disappointed that our game in 2021 was canceled due to COVID, so we’re even more excited for Naturals fans to have a chance to see so many familiar faces who previously played in Springdale. This will be a great night for our organization.”
The Royals have never played at Arvest Ballpark. Tickets will be available on Monday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. Central Time. Pricing will range from $16 to $25; the Naturals will also have group tickets, suite rentals and party areas available.
The Naturals were planning to open a pre-sale window for 2024 ticket package-holders this weekend.
“We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting the Kansas City Royals at Arvest Ballpark in 2024,” Naturals vice president & general manager Justin Cole said. “The Royals have been tremendous partners over the years, and we could not be more excited to welcome our Major League affiliate to Springdale in just over two months.”
The Naturals have served as a Royals minor-league affiliate since 2008. The Royals relocated their Double-A team to Northwest Arkansas after multiple years in Wichita. The Naturals have sent 101 former players to the Royals’ big-league club.
Notable call-ups include Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Brady Singer, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Greg Holland. Each starred with the Naturals before making his major-league debut with the Royals.
The Naturals went 64-74 last season. Their roster includes multiple top prospects in the Royals’ organization. The group includes Cayden Wallace (No. 2), Gavin Cross (No. 6), Chandler Champlain (No. 11), Mason Barnett (No. 12), Javier Vaz (No. 13), Noah Cameron (No. 18), and Peyton Wilson (No. 27).
Other intriguing prospects include Asa Lacy and Tyler Tolbert. Lacy was drafted fourth overall by the Royals in 2020. Tolbert was honored the George Brett Hitter of the Year for the 2023 season.
Barnett and Vaz also took home organizational awards last season. Barnett was named the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year Award and Vaz received the Alex Gordon Heart & Hustle Award.
The Naturals are managed by Tommy Shields. His staff includes pitching coach Larry Carter, hitting coach Andy LaRoche, bench coach Christian Colon and assistant coach Kevin Kuntz.
During their partnership with the Royals, the Naturals have made the playoffs eight times and won the Texas League title in 2010.
The Royals will open their 2024 MLB season against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on March 28.
