KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals fired hitting coach Terry Bradshaw and promoted Alec Zumwalt to fill his role Monday in a shakeup of the coaching staff that they hope will wake up one of the worst offenses in the majors this season.
The Royals have scored 118 runs through their first 32 games, better only than the Tigers, Orioles and White Sox, and their 21 home runs trail only the Tigers and Red Sox for the worst total in the big leagues.
Zumwalt was hired as a scout in 2011 but more recently has spearheaded a shift in hitting development within the Royals’ minor league program. The results last season were evident in Bobby Witt Jr. earning the Minor League Player of the Year award from Baseball America and MJ Melendez taking the Joe Bauman Award as the minor league home run champ.
Both of those players are with the big league club this season.