November 14: The Royals have made it official, announcing that Hoover has been added to Quatraro’s staff.
November 13: The Royals are hiring Paul Hoover as their new bench coach, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter link). Hoover has spent the last four seasons on the Rays staff as their Major League field coordinator, so with former Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro now taking over as Kansas City’s manager, it makes sense that Quatraro would want a familiar face as his top lieutenant.
Filling in the holes on the Tampa coaching staff, Topkin reports that minor league catching coordinator Tomas Francisco is joining the big league staff. Triple-A manager Brady Williams is also becoming the new third base coach, as Topkin reported last week that Williams was being promoted to a then-unknown role for his first job on a Major League staff.
Hoover is a veteran of 40 Major League games, during a playing career that stretched over seven MLB seasons and 14 professional seasons in total. He began his post-playing career in 2012 as a manager for the Rays’ Gulf Coast League affiliate, and then six seasons as a catching coordinator working at all levels of Tampa Bay’s farm system before receiving a promotion to the MLB staff.
The 46-year-old Hoover replaces Pedro Grifol in the bench coach job, after Grifol left the Royals to become the new White Sox manager. It seems likely that some other changes might some to the K.C. staff, and one vacancy has yet to be filled as the Royals are looking for a new pitching coach.
The Rays often promote from within for coaching vacancies, and the 34-year-old Francisco will get his first opportunity on the big league staff. Francisco played in the Rays’ farm system from 2007-2010, and then moved onto such roles as manager of the Rays’ GCL and Dominican Summer League teams, as well as his catching coordinator position.
The stove is hot!
Dam! This guy sucks.
2 puns. I’ll go away now.
I see what you did there and I’m laughing inside.
Rockies manager Bud Black has announced that Jaff Decker and Sam Dyson will be competing for mop-up duties next season.
Royals replaced Dyson with Hoover
EUREKA !!
During the years he served as Major League Field Coordinator, HOOVER has VACUUMED up a lot of player knowledge. He knows about: playing CLEAN, use of the DUST-off, knows when the game is in the BAG, and can identify players that just plain SUCK. !!
Boy that escalated quickly. Bunch of irobots out there
Gets to vacuum the sunflower seeds shells spit out under the bench
A veteran of 40 mlb games? That’s a phrase I’ve never heard before.
You lose rookie status quick these days
40 games over 6 seasons. A lot of minor league bus rides and regional airline shuttle rides to get those 40 games in. He’ll know the meaning of “optioned to Omaha” and “designated for assignment” .This is Crash Davis’s call to “The Show”.
Define the popularity of the 2023 Kansas City Royals: the most interesting thing about their new bench coach is that his name promotes witty puns relating to vacuums, historical dams, and a single-term President named Herbert.
Go Royals.
One can only imagine if they had managed to pry away Dusty Baker from the Astros.
Yeah, these jokes are inappropriate. I would think the Royals’ Hoover is going to mop Dusty up when they meet, but that’s just me.
When the Hoover Royals meet the Dusty Astros they will go down fast it will be a Swiffer Sweeper.
Finally!! The Royals are going for a clean sweep!
I knew I could count on you guys for some good puns lol.
Hoping this Hoover Administration will not portend a great depression. Otherwise, Royale fans be looking for a new deal.