The Royals pursued Marcus Thames for this reason. It could unlock the offense
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals hired Marcus Thames to improve offense in multiple areas.
- Thames joins Alec Zumwalt and Connor Dawson in the hitting department.
- The Royals expect Thames to raise power output from young core.
The Kansas City Royals had a clear objective in mind when pursuing new hitting coach Marcus Thames this offseason.
They wanted someone with his level of experience.
Thames, 48, has coached some of the top players in the majors. He worked closely with former MVPs Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. And his previous stops included the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox.
“One of the common things throughout all the candidates we interviewed was: How do we get more selective as a team?” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “How do we improve our ability to get into advantage counts? I think, again, that experience that Marcus has is going to help us solve those things.”
The Royals hold Thames in high regard. In fact, the club tried to seek permission to hire him ahead of the 2017 season for a different role.
Thames will now work alongside Alec Zumwalt and Connor Dawson — who was hired from the Milwaukee Brewers last week — in a revamped hitting department. The trio will diversify their roles to better accommodate players and generate an improved game plan.
Zumwalt is expected to maintain his lead role. He is the Royals’ senior director of hitting performance under manager Matt Quatraro. Picollo believes the new additions will allow Zumwalt to delegate more responsibility and free him up to better address player needs on an individual basis.
“You know, that hitting space is very challenging,” Picollo said. “It’s six to seven hours a day leading up to the game. And through the game, there is a lot of work. So positivity, knowledge, experience, all those things come into play. I think through Alec, Marcus and Connor, we were able to achieve that.”
Thames played 10 seasons in the majors. He posted a career .246 batting average with 115 home runs and a .794 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
Since retirement, Thames has spent over a decade in coaching. He found success at each stop and was most recently with the Chicago White Sox in 2025.
The Royals got a firsthand look at the White Sox offense in the second half of the season. Chicago averaged 4.85 runs per game after the All-Star Break and finished with six players recording 10 or more homers.
Thames played a big role in helping rookie shortstop Colston Montgomery at the plate. Montgomery hit 21 homers and finished with an .840 OPS in 71 games. There is hope Thames could do the same with Royals phenom Jac Caglianone.
Caglianone struggled in his first season with the Royals. He hit .157 with seven home runs and posted a 50.6% groundball rate. The Royals would like to see Caglianone lift the baseball more to take advantage of his raw power.
Thames helped Luke Voit lead the majors with 22 homers during a COVID-shortened 2020 season. Additionally, Ohtani hit 44 home runs with Thames at the helm of the Angels’ hitting staff in 2023.
“He clearly had some really good players that he coached,” Picollo said. “But getting them to maintain what they’re doing over the course of the season is really important. I think when guys are in advantage counts, there is an opportunity to slug. One of the things that we need to work on as a team, and I’ll say as an organization, is our pitch selection and our ability to get to those advantage counts.”
The Royals have a solid core of young players. Bobby Witt Jr. — who just won an AL Silver Slugger Award — and Maikel Garcia highlight a strong infield. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez are top sluggers, too.
Caglianone is expected to take a leap in his second season. He is joined by fellow rookie Carter Jensen as the future of the organization.
Thames was lauded for his ability to connect with players. He brings in-depth knowledge of how to formulate a hitting strategy and can offer real life examples from his own playing days in the AL Central.
The Royals will seek to add another impact bat this offseason. The club prefers a corner outfield slugger but feels comfortable adding someone with positional versatility.
With both Thames and Dawson in the fold, the Royals have three high-level hitting coaches in the clubhouse. There is a chance the team adds another analyst to the coaching staff to distribute information effectively.
For now, the Royals have taken the steps to fix their underwhelming offense — which scored 84 fewer runs in 2025 — ahead of next season. Thames brings valuable experience, and it could be the key to unlocking the Royals moving forward.
