KANSAS CITY, MO. (November 3, 2021) – Kansas City Royals President-Baseball Operations Dayton Moore and Sr. Vice President-Baseball Operations/General Manager J.J. Picollo announced the following promotions within the club’s Baseball Operations department: Rene Francisco to Sr. Vice President, Assistant GM/Major League & International Operations; Scott Sharp to Sr. Vice President, Assistant General Manager; Jin Wong to Vice President, Assistant GM/Baseball Administration; Dr. Daniel Mack to Vice President, Assistant GM/Research & Development; Jeff Davenport to Vice President/Major League Team Operations and Rusty Kuntz to Special Assistant to the President & GM/Quality Control.

Francisco completed his 15th season with the Royals in 2021 and has previously served as Vice President/Assistant GM-Major League & International Operations (2015-21), Assistant GM/International Operations (2013-14) and Special Assistant to the GM/International Operations (2006-12). He joined the Royals in 2006, after working for the Atlanta Braves (1993-2002, 2005) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003-04) previously.

Sharp finished his 15th season in the Royals’ front office, previously holding the titles of Vice President/Assistant GM (2018-21), Assistant GM/Baseball Operations (2015-17), Director of Player Development (2013-14), Director of Minor League Operations (2008-12) and Assistant Director of Player Development (2006-08). He joined the Royals after serving as an area scout for three other clubs: Texas (2005-06), Pittsburgh (2003-04) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2002).

Wong completed his 22nd season in the Royals’ organization, serving as Assistant GM-Baseball Administration (2015-21), Director of Baseball Administration (2006-14), Director of Baseball Operations (2004-05), Manager of Baseball Operations (2002-03), Manager of Scouting Operations (2001) and Scouting Operations Coordinator (2000). Prior to joining the Royals, he spent three years in the Atlanta Braves’ organization.

Dr. Mack completed his ninth season with the Royals, previously holding titles of Assistant GM-Research & Development (2019-21), Sr. Director-Quantitative Analysis/Amateur Scouting (2018), Director-Baseball Analytics/Research Science (2015-17) and Baseball Analyst (2013-14). Prior to accepting the job with Kansas City, Mack obtained a doctorate in computer science from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Davenport recently finished his 22nd season in the organization in 2021, serving as the Sr. Director-Team Travel/Clubhouse Operations (2006-21). He’s also held positions as the Sr. Director-Team Travel (2005), Director-Team Travel (2004), Manager-Team Travel (2001-03) and was the hitting coach for the Royals’ short-season club in Spokane, Washington during the 2000 season. Prior to joining the Royals, he held various roles, including Major League bullpen catcher with the Boston Red Sox (1996) and Chicago Cubs (1999), as well as a minor league coach in the Arizona organization (1997-98).

Kuntz completed his 14th season in the Royals’ organization, serving as the team’s first base coach in 2021. He’s previously held titles of Special Assistant to the General Manager (2018-20), Minor League Outfield, Bunting and Baserunning Coordinator (2010-12) and has had three stints as first base coach (2008-10, 2012-17 and 2020-21). The 2021 season was his 43rd in professional baseball, which included seven seasons in the Majors as a player, while he’s served as a coach in the Houston Astros (1987-88), Seattle Mariners (1989-92), Florida Marlins (1993-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2003-07) organizations.