Royals Name George Brett, Pedro Grifol Interim Hitting Coaches; Jack Maloof and Andre David Reassigned

March 12, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals coach George Bre before a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

One day after Royals hitting coach Jack Maloof made some confusing statements regarding the Royals hitting approach, he and Andre David, assistant hitting coach were reassigned to the minor leagues.

The Royals have been in an offensive tailspin in May and are last in home runs hit after manager Ned Yost cited a hope for more power as a goal for 2013. It’s the reason Kevin Seitzer was fired.

The Royals will stick with a dual hitting coach approach, replacing Maloof and David with Pedro Grifol, a former manager in the Mariners system and former Mets and Twins minor league catcher, as well as this guy named George Brett. You may have heard of him.

Of course, we know that Brett is a Hall of Famer, and he’s also acted as an instructor with the team during spring training, but this is a more official capacity. There’s always a concern when Hall of Famers assume these roles, as so much of what made them great was their natural ability, some of which just can’t be taught. However, Brett’s work with Charlie Lau as he was developing is well-documented.

Will it help? Perhaps not right away as new lessons are passed on. Is this just moving deck chairs on the Titanic? Is Dayton Moore panicking? I find this to be an interesting move and I wonder if Maloof’s comments brought it on or if it’s just a PR cleanup. Josh Vernier of 610 Sports sees it as a way to steer attention towards the players, as nobody’s going to blame Brett if they don’t succeed. Kevin Agee sees it as a distraction from the real problems.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star has more, including statements from Dayton Moore.