KC Royals World Series Champion Joins Kansas City Coaching Staff

The Kansas City Royals, still basking in the glow of their 2015 World Series victory, see echoes of that championship team reverberating through baseball. One of those links has returned to Kansas City, though not to the Royals themselves.

Christian Colón, the former Royals utility man who played a pivotal role in their 2014 and 2015 playoff runs, has joined the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball as their hitting coordinator and third-base coach. This marks Colón’s second stint with the Monarchs, having previously signed a player contract in 2021, though he never played a game for them before the Toronto Blue Jays signed him to a minor-league deal.

While Colón’s MLB career didn’t fully live up to his fourth-overall draft selection in 2010, his contributions to the KC Royals’ historic moments are undeniable. He scored the winning run in the thrilling 2014 AL Wild Card Game and delivered a crucial game-winning single in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.

Colón played for the KC Royals from 2014 to 2017, appearing in 125 games. After leaving Kansas City, he played for the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins before retiring in 2021.

Following his playing career, Colón returned to the KC Royals organization in a coaching capacity, working with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He then managed the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, before joining the Monarchs.

Colón’s return to Kansas City, while not with the Royals, keeps him in the baseball community he’s so closely tied to. Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra expressed excitement about Colón joining the team, highlighting his desire to return to Kansas City and his aspirations of managing in the major leagues. This new role with the Monarchs could be a stepping stone towards that goal.