He’s a Natural.
No, really.
The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday that they are promoting Christ School alumnus William Fleming ’17 to their Double-A affiliate – the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
William, 24, has been in the Royals organization for just over a year. The right-handed pitcher from Asheville was 3-2 with a 3.92 earned-run average and 53 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched for Class A Quad Cities (Iowa) before getting the callup.
There have been five professional baseball players in Christ School history, and none have advanced past the Double-A level. Northwest Arkansas plays its home games out of Springdale, Ark., the state's fourth-largest city. The minor-league team plays in the North Division of the Texas League, which sadly means there will not be any games within driving distance of Christ School.
The College Guidance Office had William as one of its “Lunch & Learn” speakers back in February. Among the topics he touched on with the boys were avoiding burnout by being well-rounded and playing multiple sports.
William was originally selected in the 11th round of the 2021 major league draft by Seattle after playing his college baseball for Wake Forest.