Royals Announce 2021 Minor League Coaching Staffs/Coordinators
The Kansas City Royals today announced their minor league staff assignments and coordinators for the upcoming season. Please note, coaches and coordinators’ experience listed includes the 2020 season, though the minor league season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Affiliates
Omaha manager Brian Poldberg returns to lead the Storm Chasers for an eighth year after winning the 2014 Triple-A championship in his first year. The two-time Dick Howser Award winner (1998, 2010) is in his 33rd year in the Royals organization. He will be joined on the bench by pitching coach Dane Johnson, who was named to the position prior to the 2020 season, and hitting coach Brian Buchanan, who is in his fourth year in his current role, and 12th with the organization. James Stone is the certified athletic trainer for his third year with Omaha, while Yannick Plante will begin his first season as the strength and conditioning coach, after being named to the same position with Northwest Arkansas in 2020. Mike Brown will serve as the coordinator of clubhouse operations. He has worked in both the visiting and home clubhouse with Omaha as an attendant since 2015, and has served in various roles for the franchise going back to their days at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Scott Thorman will manage Northwest Arkansas this year, after being named to the position last season. He previously led the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a Carolina League title in 2019 and the Lexington Legends to a South Atlantic League championship in 2018. His staff includes pitching coach Derrick Lewis, who joined the organization last season as an assistant pitching coach to the minor leagues, and hitting coach Abraham Nunez, who will begin his third year with the Naturals and 10th in the Royals organization. Justin Kemp will remain as the certified athletic trainer for a third-straight year in Springdale, while CJ Mikkelsen will be in his first year as the Naturals’ strength and conditioning coach, after being slated as the strength and conditioning coach for the Idaho Falls Chukars in 2020. Danny Helmer will be the coordinator of clubhouse operations. He has spent 22 years in various roles in the clubhouse, first for the Wichita Wranglers (nine years) and then as the home clubhouse attendant at Northwest Arkansas (13 years) prior to being named the coordinator of clubhouse operations.
Quad Cities’ first season as a Royals’ affiliate will see Chris Widger take the reins for his second year as a manager at the Class A-Advanced level and third as a manager in the organization. In 2019, he led the Burlington Royals to the Appalachian League Championship Series. Widger’s coaching staff will include veteran pitching coach Steve Luebber, who is in his 16th season in the Royals organization, hitting coach Andy LaRoche, who will be in his third season in KC’s organization and Mike Jirschele as bench coach. Jirschele served on the Royals’ Major League coaching staff from 2014–19 and has 17 seasons of experience as a minor league manager with Omaha (1995–97, 2003–13), Wilmington (1994), Rockford (1993) and with the Gulf Coast Royals (1992). Daniel Accola will be Quad Cities’ certified athletic trainer, after serving in the same role with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2020. Strength and conditioning coach Tony Carney will begin his second year in the organization, after being named to the same role with the Lexington Legends in 2020. Matt Resar will serve as the coordinator of clubhouse operations, after spending the previous eight seasons as the home clubhouse attendant for the Lexington Legends.
Columbia (S.C.) is also a new Royals affiliate this season and it will be led by manager Brooks Conrad, who previously managed the Lexington Legends to a second-straight South Atlantic League championship in 2019. He also managed the Burlington Royals in 2018. He is joined on the bench by pitching coach Carlos Martinez, who is in his 25th year in the organization; hitting coach Jesus Azuaje, in his seventh year as a Royals minor league coach; and bench coach Glenn Hubbard, who is in his 11th year in the organization. Brad Groleau is in his third year in the organization and will serve as the certified athletic trainer. Taylor Portman, also beginning his third season in the Royals minor league ranks, will be the strength and conditioning coach.
Surprise will be managed by Omar Ramirez, who enters his 13th year in the Royals’ organization and 10th as a minor league skipper. He led the Idaho Falls Chukars to the Pioneer League championship in 2019. Mark Davis, John Habyan and Julio Pimentel will all serve as pitching coaches with Surprise. Davis and Pimentel have worked together in Surprise the past two years, while Habyan begins his second season in organization, after being slated to serve as pitching coach with the Burlington Royals in 2020. Hitting coaches Andre David and Ramon Castro are also veterans to the organization. David begins his 23rd campaign with the Royals and second in Surprise, while Castro returns to Arizona after being named hitting coach for the Burlington Royals in 2020. Chris Nelson and Kevin Kuntz will serve as coaches. Nelson is in his fourth year as a Royals minor league coach, which includes stops in Idaho Falls (2020), Northwest Arkansas (2019) and Omaha (2018). Kuntz has served in the Royals front office the previous five years and served as a coach at Rookie-level Burlington in 2015. Todd Jansen will be the coordinator of clubhouse operations. Prior to this season, Jansen served as the visiting clubhouse attendant (2003–09) and home clubhouse attendant (2010–18) in Omaha and has worked for the Royals in clubhouse operations in Arizona from 2019–20.
The Royals will once again have two teams in the Dominican Summer League. Ramon Martinez and Sergio de Luna remain the managers of the two squads. Martinez is in his fifth year as manager and 15th on the Dominican Royals coaching staff, after leading the Royals to a DSL championship in 2019. de Luna is in his second year as manager and 10th with the Royals. Rafael Feliz and Jose Veras will serve as pitching coaches. Feliz is beginning his fourth year on the Royals coaching staff and Veras is in his second. Wilson Betemit and Evaristo Lantigua will be the hitting coaches. Betemit is in his fourth year in that role, while Lantigua embarks on his third full season with the Royals. Also assuming coaching positions are: Miguel Bernard (catching), Quilvio Veras (bunting and baserunning), Onil Joseph (outfield) and Fernando Martinez (outfield). Bernard is in his ninth season in the organization, after being slated to manage Surprise last year. Veras remains in his role for the fourth-straight year and Joseph is in his second-straight year and second stint as an outfield coach. Martinez is in his second year with the Royals. The athletic training staff includes: Kazuma Fukuzumi, Alessandro Bertozzo, Martin Berroa and Manuel Plaza. Marcos Sierra will serve as the strength and conditioning coach.
Coordinators and Roving positions:
The Royals will employ four Advisors, who are no strangers to the organization: Rafael Belliard (special assistant to the GM), Chino Cadahia (sr. coordinator, player development), Harry Spilman (special assistant, player development) and John Wathan (special assistant, player development). Belliard served as the Royals Major League infield coach last season and is in his eighth year in the organization. Cadahia is in his 45th season in professional baseball, with the last 10 in the Royals organization. Spilman enters his seventh year with the Royals, all of them as a special assistant to player development. Wathan will begin his 50th year in professional baseball and 46th with the Royals. “Duke” was selected by Kansas City in the 1971 Draft, and has been a player, manager, and minor league coach/instructor in the organization, which includes managing the Major League club from 1987–91.
Alec Zumwalt (hitting/player development), Paul Gibson (pitching) and John Wagle (performance science/player development) will all serve as minor league directors. All three are beginning their second year in their current roles, while Gibson is in his 11th year in the organization, Zumwalt is in his 10th and Wagle begins his third.
The club will staff 10 minor league coordinators. J.C. Boscan begins his sixth year as the Royals minor league catching coordinator, after retiring as a player in 2015. Eddie Rodriguez will be the minor league infield coordinator, his fifth-straight season in the organization and 10th overall. Damon Hollins will return to the role of minor league outfield, baserunning and bunting coordinator, after serving as the Royals first base coach last season. He is in his 12th year in the organization. Jason Simontacchi will be in his second season as pitching coordinator, his fourth in the organization. Drew Saylor will be in his second year in his role as the minor league hitting coordinator, after joining the organization in 2020. Victor Baez will serve as the Dominican Academy field coordinator, his 15th season in that role. Dave Iannicca will begin his third year as the Royals minor league medical coordinator, after serving the previous eight as the certified athletic trainer with Omaha. Justin Hahn will hold the title of physical therapy coordinator, beginning his ninth season with the organization. Jarret Abell will be in his second season as the strength and conditioning coordinator and eighth overall in the organization. Rustin Sveum will be in his second season as the minor league video coordinator and his fifth overall in the organization.
The Royals will also employ seven assistant minor league coordinators. Derrick Robinson will be in his first season as the assistant outfield, baserunning and bunting coordinator. Jeff Suppan returns for his third year as the roving pitching coordinator, his seventh season in the organization as a coach and 12th overall. Mitch Stetter begins his second year as the manager-pitching performance. Keoni DeRenne will begin his second year as assistant hitting coordinator. Mike Tosar will serve as the special assignment hitting coordinator for a second-straight year. Tony Medina will be the assistant minor league medical coordinator as well as the Latin America coordinator, his 10th year with the Royals. Phil Falco will be the assistant strength and conditioning coordinator for a second-straight year, his fifth in the organization.
Brandon Nelson, in his second year with the Royals, will serve as a development coach.
The minor league support staff will include: Nick Leto (manager-Arizona operations), Matt Sams (analyst/performance science) Erika Wincheski (registered sports dietitian), Will Simon (manager-minor league clubhouse & equipment operations) and Monica Ramirez (Education/ESL & Latin American initiatives coordinator).
Additional support staff for the Dominican Academy includes: Fabio Herrera (manager-international operations), Massiel Rodriguez and Jorge Guzman (assistant to Dominican operations), Susana Richardson (Dominican administrative assistant) and Johan Febrillet (lead educator).
