This Week in the Minors: Northwest Arkansas season in review

The Royals’ Double-A affiliate the Northwest Arkansas Naturals had a tough year. They went 57-79 on the season. Overall, it was a very rough season in Arkansas, but who carved out a good year?

The good from the position players:

Luke Pelzer is a fast-moving guy and a name to keep an eye on. The 23-year-old outfielder was drafted in the 17th round of the 2025 draft out of Illinois-Chicago. Pelzer was great over a short period of time in Columbia in 2025. This season, he started in Quad Cities, where he was unreal, slashing .337/.404/.506 in 69 games. He had 18 doubles, 7 triples and 4 homers. He walked 30 times and stole 28 bases. Then once he got the promotion, he played in 42 games in Northwest Arkansas, he slashed .337/.414/.405. He had 7 doubles and 2 triples, walking 20 times and stealing 14 more bases. Defensively, Pelzer played all three outfield spots, but mainly left field, where he posted a .993 fielding percentage.

Spencer Nivens is another outfielder that put together a solid season. He missed some time due to an injury, but over 104 games slashed .280/.365/.446 with 29 doubles, 4 triples and 9 homers. He also walked 55 times, compared to 75 strikeouts, while stealing 17 bases. It was Nivens second full season in Northwest Arkansas, and all of his offensive numbers improved, he should be in Omaha to start next season. Defensively, he played all three outfield spots, but mainly left field, where he posted a .992 fielding percentage.

Sam Kulasingam put together a solid 2026 campaign, slashing .249/.370/.396 over 127 games. Kulasingam had 24 doubles and 12 homers, stealing 30 bases too. The 25-year-old, 2024 draft pick out of the Air Force Academy had a solid first year in Double-A. Defensively, he played first, second, third, left and right field, but got the most starts at third base.

Brett Squires and Carson Roccaforte had awesome seasons, I know, but they will be highlighted next week in the Storm Chasers season in review.

The good from the pitching staff:

25 different guys made an appearance this season for the Naturals. It was such a mixed bag on the pitching staff, because guys like Drew Beam and Hunter Owen showed great flashes, but their overall numbers were discouraging. Beam threw 129 innings, the most on the team and won 9 games, but finished the season with a 6.49 ERA. Owen had a mix of starts and relief appearances and finished with a 5.94 ERA in just 94 innings but struck out 108 guys and showed true hit and miss stuff. Those are two names I’d say to keep an eye on, but I would just like to see more consistency next season.

Frank Mozzicato also falls into this category of a mixed bag type of season; he was downright awful as a starter but was rather ok as a reliever. Mozzicato finished the year throwing 71.2 innings, with an 8.04 ERA, but struck out 97 batters. Although, he walked 72. Overall, the minor league numbers throughout his career aren’t really encouraging. Mozzicato, if he sticks around might be tried as a full-time reliever next year, which somewhat piques my interest, to see if he has something. His velo was way up in relief.

Hunter Patteson, the 26-year-old lefty, who finished out in Omaha, had solid numbers in Northwest Arkansas. He threw 99.2 innings, with a 4.52 ERA, striking out 83 hitters, while walking 48. Opponents hit .240 off him.

Before he was hurt for the rest of the year, Justin Lamkin was exceptional. He split time between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas but was great in both stops. He threw a total of 39.2 innings, striking out 53 batters, walking just 14. Over 8 starts, he posted a 2.04 ERA. Opponents hit just .168 off him and he had a WHIP of 0.93. Lamkin, the 22-year-old lefty out of Texas A&M, the 71st overall pick in the 2025 draft is one to keep a very close eye on.

All these guys will start next year in Double-A again most likely (except Nivens), but I could see some of them quickly moving up, especially with the crop coming up from Quad Cities. Putting all that together, I think the Naturals should be the team to watch next season, as they should have a lot of fun, young talent.