Jeffrey Flanagan  

Seitzer always wanted a chance with the Royals

I t’s not often you get asked back by the same organization that once fired you.

“You know what? That’s all in the past,” new Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer told me Monday. “Those wounds have healed. Actually, they healed a long time ago.”

I remember being with Seitzer in Baseball City, Fla., in 1992 on the day the Royals released him. It was his birthday, no less. He was stunned and understandably upset.

But, truth be told, Seitzer never gave up on the notion of one day returning to the Royals. And now he has.

“The Royals were my family,” he said. “They were my first organization. I spent nine years with that family. The Royals have always been a connection that doesn’t go away.

“Now I get to be a part of the new direction with Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman, and I have to say I really like it. This is wild.”

Seitzer got a call from Hillman right after the Royals let go hitting coach Mike Barnett. Hillman asked whether Seitzer might be interested in the position, and Seitzer virtually screamed, “Yes!”

Seitzer interviewed Friday and was offered the job Saturday.

“Let’s just say it didn’t take me long to accept,” Seitzer said. “I started to talk to my wife (Beth) about it, and she just said, ‘Take it!’ Really, she just said that if it’s what I wanted to do that I should take it.”

Seitzer wasn’t sure he’d ever coach in the big leagues again. In a rather bizarre move in 2007, Arizona fired him as hitting coach just halfway through his first season there.

Arizona’s young hitters got off to a poor start, and insiders say Seitzer quickly became the scapegoat.

“I feel like I only got half a chance,” Seitzer said at the time.

Now, Seitzer will get another crack at developing young hitters with the Royals.

“We don’t have enough time to go through all the things I want to try to emphasize with these guys,” he said. “It really comes down to having a consistent approach. Have a purpose up there rather than just a ‘see-ball-hit-ball’ approach.

“You have to have that purpose up there if you’re going to improve your on-base percentage. And that’s the key to offense. Getting guys on and moving them around and driving them in. That’s what wins ballgames.”

Seitzer thinks his experience as a major-leaguer might influence the Royals’ younger hitters.

“I think, because I have a history, that they will take notice,” he said. “I hope they will. I’ve learned a lot of things about what doesn’t work in this game, and I learned that from all the right turns I made back to the dugout. As a hitter, I’ve tried everything that can be imagined. The things they will be experiencing, I already have experienced.

“I plan on bringing a lot of passion and fire to the job, and hopefully these guys will see how much I care about the Royals and how much I care about winning here.”

To reach Jeffrey Flanagan call 816-234-4492 and leave a message or send e-mail to jflanagan@kcstar.com