Royals' Nick Loftin named Hooks Pro Player of the Year
Kansas City Royals infielder and Ray High School product Nick Loftin was named the 2023 Mike Adams South Texas Professional Player of the Year.
Loftin spent most of the 2023 season with Triple-A Omaha before having his contract selected by the Royals on September 1. With the Storm Chasers, he batted .270 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, and 56 RBIs in 82 games. Loftin worked 34 walks against 47 strikeouts opposite International League pitching.
His RBI production ranked second among Omaha leaders despite spending the final month of the year with the Royals.
Loftin hit safely in 13 of 19 games for Kansas City, batting .323 with 10 runs scored, six extra-base hits and 10 RBI. The four-year letter-winner at Ray made his Major League debut on September 1 against Boston. Loftin walked in his initial plate appearance before recording his first big-league knock via an RBI double in the third. He added a single in the sixth.
Loftin, who boasted multi-hit games in six of his first 13 MLB games, batted .412 (14-for-34) with three doubles in 10 games at KC’s Kauffman Stadium.
Selected by the Royals in the first round of the 2020 draft out of Baylor University, Loftin logged time at first base (eight games), second base (seven games), and third base (four games) during his debut campaign with Kansas City.
Loftin’s 2023 exploits will be recognized at the 18th South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet. The event is presented by Whataburger and scheduled for January 18 at the Henry Garrett Ballroom inside the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.
This marks the fourth winter banquet honor for Loftin, who is repeating as the top area pro. He earned prep preseason all-star recognition from 2016-’17 with the Ray Texans.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Ray grad Nick Loftin named Hooks Pro Player of the Year
