Royals Reassign Hitting Coach Alec Zumwalt After Offensive Struggles
- The Kansas City Royals are shaking up their coaching staff following a difficult season, reassigning hitting coach Alec Zumwalt within the organization, according to a report by Ken...
- Zumwalt joined the Royals organization as a scout in 2013 after completing his minor league playing career as a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1999.
- Scoring runs remained a persistent issue for Kansas City throughout Zumwalt's tenure on the big league staff.
The Kansas City Royals are shaking up their coaching staff following a difficult season, reassigning hitting coach Alec Zumwalt within the organization, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Zumwalt, who has spent more than a decade with the franchise, will no longer work in uniform with the Major League staff on a daily basis. Instead, he will continue his employment as the team’s senior director of hitting performance, a role he held prior to moving into the dugout in May 2022.
A Decade of Organizational Service and Dugout Shift
Zumwalt joined the Royals organization as a scout in 2013 after completing his minor league playing career as a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1999. Working under then-General Manager Dayton Moore—who shared a Braves background with Zumwalt—he climbed through the ranks as an advance scout, director of baseball operations, and director of player development. Following the 2021 season, the organization named Zumwalt its director of hitting performance. By May 2022, the club shifted him directly into the dugout as hitting coach, replacing Terry Bradshaw after the team opened that season mired in an offensive funk. KCTV notes that Zumwalt completed his ninth overall season with the organization during this latest campaign.
https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/2104982095370064179
Offensive Struggles and Statistical Comparisons
Scoring runs remained a persistent issue for Kansas City throughout Zumwalt’s tenure on the big league staff. Data shows that dating back to 2022, the Royals ranked 23rd in the majors with 3,392 runs scored, 26th in home runs with 800, 29th in walk rate at 7.5%, and 26th in on-base percentage at .308. Conversely, Royals hitters maintained the fifth-lowest strikeout rate in the majors over that same span at 20.7%, while sitting near the middle of the pack in batting average at .246 (tied for 15th) and slugging percentage at .396 (tied for 19th). KCTV reports that prior to the 2026 season, Kansas City rearranged its hitting staff by adding Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames as hitting coaches to work underneath Zumwalt. Despite those additions, the 2026 team finished with a 69-93 record—the worst in the American League Central. While this year’s group improved on a rate basis—hitting .247/.316/.402, which translated to a wRC+ just 2% below league average—they still finished in the bottom third of the league in home runs, total runs scored, walk rate, and wRC+. On the whole, KCTV notes the offense frequently struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position, echoing similar problems from the 2025 season when the club regressed to 26th in runs scored after a stronger showing in 2024.
Individual Hitter Performance and Roster Outlook
Individual results across the roster varied significantly. Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen delivered breakout seasons, while Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino put up quality numbers relative to the league as a whole, even though their raw outputs dipped compared to previous standards. Maikel Garcia’s bat regressed to league average while he dealt with injuries. Meanwhile, Salvador Perez endured the worst statistical season of his career at age 36, though such a downturn is not unexpected given his immense workload behind the plate. Other contributors faced major roadblocks. Jonathan India’s struggles from 2025 bled into the 2026 campaign before an injury ended his season in April. Offseason acquisition Isaac Collins failed to replicate his 2025 breakout with Milwaukee, and center fielder Kyle Isbel posted the worst offensive output of his career by a wide margin.
Future Coaching Staff Direction in Kansas City
While Zumwalt transitions back to his senior director role, it remains unclear if any other coaching changes are imminent following the disappointing 69-93 finish. However, manager Matt Quatraro is not expected to be replaced. Quatraro signed a three-year contract extension this past February covering the 2027 through 2029 seasons, which includes a club option for the 2030 campaign and has not yet officially begun.