That was a bit of a long and winding answer, but it’s safe to say the Royals are looking for new voices, new philosophies, and basically, a brand new approach. The old balance, the old skill sets and abilities…those didn’t work. The team will be starting from scratch, but with the old boss still in charge.
I’m aware of what I’ve written about Zumwalt in that sacking a hitting coach generally feels like eyewash. It just doesn’t move the needle for me. Yet if the organization is going to be cashiering the entire hitting support staff, how does the lead guy survive? Wasn’t Zumwalt, as the Senior Director of Hitting Performance, responsible for coordinating and then implementing said philosophies and the instruction? I don’t know…if you’re going to decide the hitting coaches were the issue—and that’s clearly what the Royals have decided—it feels strange to let everyone go but the top dog.