The Kansas City Royals declared this week that hitting coach Alec Zumwalt’s job was safe. That didn’t mean Zumwalt’s assistants would be as lucky.
Kansas City carried two offensive assistants this season: Keoni De Renne and Joe Dillon. And when Zumwalt was declared safe by general manager J.J. Picollo, it was fairly telling that the same was not said of De Renne and Dillon.
On Sunday, the news became official. The Royals will not be renewing the contracts of De Renne or Dillon, according to a report from Anne Rogers of MLB.com
“I want to thank Keoni and Joe for what they’ve done with us, Keoni helping us through a tough 2023 and both of them helping us elevate in ‘24, and still did some nice things this year,” Picollo told Rogers. “They’re both really good, tireless workers. They’re going to end up in a good spot somewhere in the game. They’re both well respected, and we appreciate what they did with us.”
De Renne, 46, has been a coach in major league organizations since 2012, coming to Kansas City in 2022 after stints with the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. He played eight seasons in the minors as an infielder.
Dillon, 50, was a Royals draft pick in 1997 who played over a decade of minor league ball before transitioning to his coaching career in 2013. He spent time with the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, and Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he once served as the lead hitting coach.
The Royals ranked 26th in runs and home runs, and 22nd in on-base percentage this season. Things picked up after the All-Star break, and Kansas City did have a pair of hitters cross the 30-home run mark for the first time in franchise history (Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez).
Kansas City’s offense was a huge reason they failed to live up to their playoff expectations this season. With that in mind, letting go of just the assistants feels like a half-measure, but if it works, no one will complain.
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