Reggie Sanders Returns to Give Back — On and Off the Field
The former Royal has returned to the organization as Special Advisor to Baseball Operations
This story was featured in Issue 3.3 of Royals Baseball Insider and is available for free to all fans who attend any game during the homestand from June 30-July 2.
Reggie Sanders and his wife, Wyndee, were in a South Carolina airport in 2014 when they bumped into an old friend.
Sanders, who played 17 years in the Major Leagues, including a one-year stint in 2000 with Atlanta and the final two years of his career from 2006–07 in Kansas City, knew Dayton Moore very well.
Moore, who served various roles within the Braves’ baseball operations department from 1994–2006, was in his eighth year with the Royals as the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.
The two exchanged pleasantries, and before going their separate ways, Moore floated an idea that piqued Sanders’ interest.
“If you’re ever interested in coming back to the Royals,” Moore said, “let me know.”
Sanders, in his seventh year of retirement, had stayed involved in the game since hanging up his cleats following the 2007 season. He was a part owner of the Cal Ripken Experience, a baseball complex that hosts youth tournaments. He had also recently started his foundation, RSFCares, which works to provide a comprehensive network of support for children and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
So while Moore’s offer caught Sanders’ attention, he wasn’t yet willing to jump at the opportunity. But three years later, he thought back to the conversation he had with Moore at that South Carolina airport.
“My kids had gotten older and my wife and I talked about it,” Sanders said. “We decided it was time for me to come back in some capacity.”
So he called Dayton to explore the opportunity.
“When we were talking, it felt like we were in sync,” Sanders said. “The language in which Dayton spoke, in terms of caring about the individual, inspiring the individual in a meaningful way and understanding that this goes beyond baseball, those conversations that we had reflect the way I live my life.
“I knew this was the right place for me.”
Now in his first year as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations, Sanders’ role with the Royals is still evolving. He joined the club in Surprise, Ariz. for Spring Training, and assisted during morning workouts with the players, as did his former teammate, Mike Sweeney, who holds a similar role with the team.
During the season, Sanders travels to each minor league affiliate at least once, and occasionally spends time with the Major League club as well. His goal is to connect with and develop meaningful relationships with the players and, in his words, “help them discover what is best for them and support them in getting to the next level.
“Our players must be supported correctly,” he added.
Sanders’ desire to give back — not just in this new role with the Royals, but within his foundation as well — stems from a matter that hits close to home.
“My innate responsibility,” he said, “came from my brother Demetrius, who was diagnosed with autism at age three.”
Demetrius is now 40 years old, but is on a first-grade comprehension level.
“To see the amount of work it takes for our mom, Thelma, to go through every single day to take care of him is eye opening,” Sanders said. “You see that and you realize that it’s not about me. It’s about doing right by all that has been given.”
This revelation inspired Sanders to form the RSFCares foundation in 2013. The foundation’s mission, he says, is to build a cohesive network for individuals with autism and their families, and assist the high-functioning individuals with job placements. Beyond that, they support programs that teach these individuals to live independently.
Sanders’ foundation, for example, works closely with Coastal Carolina University’s LIFE program to support students with intellectual disabilities.
RSFCares also hosts a yearly event called the Advantage Games to raise awareness throughout the community.
“The reason we created [the Advantage Games],” Sanders said, “was for families to have a safe place to go and talk about their experiences with autism. It’s really taken off well, and we’re looking to replicate that in other cities.”
The event provides information booths for families to access, and a job fair for those with autism to seek employment.
Adventure Children’s Museum, the largest children’s museum in South Carolina, provides 30 STEM games for the event, creating a field day-like atmosphere.
Every other year, the Advantage Games hosts a celebrity softball game. Last year, the two teams were managed by Hall of Famers Tony LaRussa and Cal Ripken Jr. One of the umpires that day was 23-year-old Justin Fletcher, an alumnus of the RSFCares foundation, which led to his participation at the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School in Florida.
Following a controversial play in the field that involved former Major Leaguers Orlando Hudson and Alex Cintrón, LaRussa emerged from the dugout to argue the call. Fletcher jokingly threw out LaRussa for challenging his ruling.
“The beautiful thing,” Sanders said, “is that because of our foundation, [Fletcher] was able to have an experience like that.”
Another success story from the RSFCares foundation is Tarik El-Abour, who in 2016 became the first person with autism to sign a professional baseball contract, playing with the Sullivan Explorers of the Empire Pro Baseball League. But not only did El-Abour play, he excelled, batting .323 to earn Empire Pro Baseball League Rookie of the Year honors.
El-Abour was at Kauffman Stadium on April 14 as the Royals joined Major League Baseball in raising awareness for autism by hosting Autism Awareness Night. He dressed with the players, took batting practice before the game and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“Tarik is an outstanding athlete and an even more authentic and inspiring person,” Sanders said. “I was honored to be part of making his dream come true.”
The Royals designated eight Quite Zones throughout the ballpark that night, in areas that are generally quieter than others to allow guests to have a break from over-stimulation and sensory overload.
In addition, three Exceptional Concession Stands were created to encourage those who are on the spectrum to develop social skills in making a transaction. Staff in those designated stands were trained on the best ways to interact with each guest.
“If you met one person with autism, you met one person with autism,” Sanders said. “The important piece is giving them a place where they can thrive.”
The RSFCares foundation has undoubtedly done that, providing those such as Fletcher and El-Abour opportunities that otherwise would not have been available to them.
“There is not such a thing as giving up,” El-Abour said. “Someone just made that up as a way out. I do not want a way out; I want a way in.”
