Kansas City Royals

Matheny's first Royals coaching staff features holdovers, new faces and a return

Published Dec. 5, 2019 4:55 p.m. ET

First-year manager Mike Matheny's 2020 coaching staff will have a familiar look, featuring four coaches on last year's staff, one newcomer to the organization and two organizational promotions, including the return of a popular coach from the club's recent past.

The full staff: Terry Bradshaw (hitting coach), Larry Carter (bullpen coach), Cal Eldred (pitching coach), Pedro Grifol (bench coach), Rusty Kuntz (first base coach), John Mabry (major league coach) and Vance Wilson (third base coach).

“I’m looking forward to working with this talented group of coaches,” Matheny said. “This group has a tremendous track record and all of these men have been dedicated to the game of baseball for a long time. We’re excited to get going.”

Bradshaw and Eldred hold the same positions they did on retired manager Ned Yost's final staff. Wilson moves from bench coach to third base, while Grifol replaces Wilson on the bench after serving as quality control/catching coach.

Carter, 54, joins the big-league staff after serving as the organization's minor league pitching coordinator for the last five seasons. This will be his 23rd season in the organization.

The other in-house promotion is that of Kuntz, who will begin his third stint as the club's first base coach. A familiar face during the club's recent World Series runs, Kuntz, 64, coached first base for Kansas City from 2008-10 and 2012-17. He has been a special assistant to the general manager/quality control for the past two seasons.

The newcomer to the organization is Mabry, who worked as Matheny's hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2013-18. Mabry, 49, retired as a player after the 2007 season, capping a major league career that spanned 14 seasons.

“Mike has assembled an extremely dedicated and talented coaching staff that is devoted to supporting and guiding the success of our players,” said Dayton Moore, Royals senior vice president-baseball operations/general manager.

The club also announced that Rafael Belliard will move into Kuntz’s former role as a special assignment coach.

Gone from last year's staff are Mike Jirschele (third base coach) and Dale Sveum (bench coach), who will remain with the organization in roles that have yet to be announced, and Mitch Maier (first base coach), the organization's new director of baseball operations.