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  • Major League Notes

    Notes about the team are posted here.

    53 rumors in this category

      Kevin O'Brien

       

      On Monday, the Kansas City Royals announced that they hired Mike McFerran as assistant pitching coach. McFerran replaces Zach Bove, who left earlier this month for the head pitching coach role with the Chicago White Sox.

       

      McFerran is only 32 years old but has a diverse coaching history, with much of his time spent at his alma mater, Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, Wake Forest University, and the Sacramento Athletics. With Wake Forest, he served as an associate head coach and pitching lab coordinator, helping develop first-round draft picks such as Ryan Cusick and Rhett Lowder. After a successful tenure with the Demon Deacons, he moved on to the Athletics organization, where he primarily worked with Minor League pitchers for the past two seasons. 

      The Royals' new assistant pitching coach had a pretty interesting interview on "And That's The Game" from Pro Batter Sports last year, when he was a member of the Athletics organization. In the podcast, he discussed his unique coaching background and his overall coaching philosophy. 

      When it came to replacing Bove, the Royals were looking for someone who shared Bove's ability to work closely with pitchers, especially in game strategy and pitch design, according to MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers. With his extensive background in pitch mechanics and incorporating science, data, and technology to develop athletes, especially pitchers, it seems like Kansas City found that fit with McFerran.

      Here's a snippet from Rogers' piece that provides background on McFerran's coaching history, especially during his tenure at Wake Forest.

      Quote

      The Royals were looking for someone with a similar skillset as Bove when putting together their list of candidates. And McFerran brings an innovative mind to pitching and strategy. His time at Wake Forest is particularly interesting; as the pitching lab coordinator, he helped “interpret and define the developmental direction of throwing athletes in collaboration with the coaching staff, while using the advancement of data and technology to maximize their performance and minimize their risk of injury,” according to the Wake Forest Baseball website.

      With the McFerran hiring, the Royals' coaching staff should be complete for the upcoming season. In addition to Bove, the Royals needed to replace assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon. They found those replacements in Connor Dawson of the Brewers and Marcus Thames of the White Sox. 

      Photo Credit: © William Purnell-Imagn Images

      Matthew Lenz

      The Kansas City Royals are shifting titles and responsibilities in their front office. Brooks Sherman, formerly the president of business operations, is now president of real estate and development. His primary responsibility will be looking for a new ballpark location.

      In his place, Anne Rogers of MLB.com is reporting that the Kansas City Royals have named Cullen Maxey the President of Business Operations. In a statement, Royals chairman/CEO John Sherman said, "...this is a day that helps change our organization and prepares us for the future." Maxey was previously the Executive Vice President, Business Operations and Chief Revenue Officer with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 16 seasons.

      In Arizona, Maxey was part of the leadership team responsible for the planning and construction of the $200 million Salt River Fields Complex. He also led the team that transitioned the Diamondbacks' broadcast from the regional sports network model to a team-managed multi-platform distribution. Most notably for fans, he was one of the key figures behind "value item pricing" at the concession stand. His efforts led the D-backs to have the lowest Fan Cost Index in MLB for many consecutive years.

      While the impact of front office roles can be hard to measure, how do you think Maxey and Sherman's new roles will impact the Royals organization? Let us know in the comments!

      Philip Ruo

      The Royals announced last week their broadcast schedule for Spring Training games in the Cactus League, outlining how fans can enjoy the Royals as they prepare for the 2026 MLB season.

      The Royals begin playing games this Friday, February 20 at 2:00 p.m. CT against the Texas Rangers at their shared stadium in Surprise, Arizona.

      Only three of their games will not be broadcast in any format this Spring. All three of those games fall on days where two games are played.

      Three games will be televised on Royals.tv, the new home for Kansas City’s regular season games:

      • March 5 vs. the Texas Rangers - 7:05 p.m. CT

      • March 13 vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks - 8:05 p.m. CT

      • March 17 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers - 8:05 p.m. CT

      You can find our guide on how to watch Royals.tv here.

      29 games will be available for audio streaming on royals.com. 22 of those games will be available on a radio broadcast; 16 games on 96.5 The Fan (including the three Royals.tv broadcasts), and six on The Bet 1660. The remaining seven games will air exclusively at royals.com. See the post from the Royals above for the breakdown of which games will be available on which stations. All games are listed on Central Time.

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