KANSAS CITY, Mo — The Kansas City Royals announced the retirement of Mike Jirschele, marking the end of a distinguished 38-year tenure with the organization. Jirschele, affectionately known as “Jirsch,” has been a pivotal figure in the Royals’ history, serving in various roles since his start as a player in the minor league system from 1988-89. His career in professional baseball spans 48 years, including 12 as a player and 36 as a coach.
“People who know me know I don’t love the attention that comes from an announcement like this,” Jirschele said. “All I’ve wanted is to do my job. I’m grateful for a career in baseball, all these years with the Royals, and the friendships that have come along the way. I hope the people I’ve worked with think I’ve done my job, worked hard for them, and helped.”
J.J. Picollo, Royals Executive VP & General Manager, praised Jirschele’s contributions, stating, “It’s been an absolute honor to work alongside of Jirsch. He’s done just about everything in player development and was obviously a big part of our World Series championship. And he did all of it with class and dignity. Very few people can connect with players the way he has throughout his career. He’s truly a Royals legend and we will miss him dearly.”
Jirschele’s career highlights include a World Series championship as Kansas City’s Third Base Coach in 2015 and 20 seasons as a minor league Manager, with 10 playoff appearances and five league championships. He was named Manager of the Year three times, including in the Gulf Coast League in 1992, the Carolina League in 1994, and the International League in 2024.
During his 17 seasons managing Triple-A Omaha, Jirschele led the team to three league titles and became Omaha’s all-time wins leader with 1,214 victories. Under his leadership, 95 players were promoted from Omaha to Kansas City, including notable names like Joe Randa, Zack Greinke, Eric Hosmer, Danny Duffy, Mike Moustakas, and Yordano Ventura.
Jirschele’s coaching journey began in 1990 as the Hitting Coach for Kansas City’s Class-A Appleton affiliate. He managed various Royals affiliates before serving as the organization’s Minor League Infield Coordinator from 1998-2002. He returned to Omaha as Manager in 2003 and later served as Kansas City’s Third Base Coach from 2014-19, winning a World Series in 2015. After a brief stint as a Special Assistant to the General Manager in 2020, Jirschele returned to coaching roles in Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas before concluding his career as Omaha’s Manager in 2023.