The Royals are adding Marcus Thames to their coaching staff as a hitting coach, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers. Last week they added Connor Dawson as an assistant hitting coach. Both will work
under director of hitting performance Alec Zumwalt.
Thames was a 10-year MLB outfielder with the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers, and Dodgers, who hit 115 home runs in his career. He began his coaching career in 2013 in the Yankees organization as a minor league hitting coach. He joined the big league staff in 2015 and became hitting coach in 2018. He interviewed for the Tigers managerial opening in 2020, but was ultimately passed over, and was let go by the Yankees.
Since then, he has served as a hitting coach for the Marlins, Angels, and White Sox, not having spent more than two seasons with any team. The Angels seemed to improve offensively under his watch, which is why then-White Sox manager Pedro Grifol lured him away in 2023. With the White Sox, Gavin Sheets credited Thames with his improvement. Last year, Thames oversaw the development of many young hitters, but with Will Venable in place as manager, Thames was not brought back for next year.
The Royals also added Connor Dawson, who comes from the Brewers organization after four years. Prior to that, he spent three years in the Mariners organization. Dawson is a graduate of Olathe North High School, and he played collegiately at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas.
The Royals finished with the fifth-fewest runs scored in baseball last season, despite terrific performances from Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Maikel Garcia, and Salvador Perez. After the season, the team announced they would not retain assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon.
