Tommy Shields will return for his second season as manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday.
The Naturals are the Royals' Class AA affiliate. In addition, the entire 2024 field staff for all the Royals' minor league affiliates was also announced.
Shields, the seventh manager in Naturals history, will be joined by returning staff members Larry Carter, Andy LaRoche, Kevin Kuntz and Danny Helmer, along with five newcomers -- strength and conditioning coach Ted Elsner, trainer Brad Groleau, assistant pitching coach Sam Eades, assistant hitting coach Chris Nelson and player development trainee Kyle Flanagan.
Shields, 59, returns to Northwest Arkansas after managing the club to a 64-74 record in 2023, including a 35-34 record in the second half. Prior to last season, Shields served as the bench coach for the Class AAA Omaha Storm Chasers in 2022. This year will mark his 29th season of working in player development.
Carter returns to the Naturals as the club's pitching coach. He was the Northwest Arkansas pitching coach in 2023 after serving as the Major League bullpen coach for the Royals from 2020-22. This will be his 30th season as a coach, including a stint as the pitching coach for the Naturals from 2008-12. In 2013-14, he was the pitching coach for the Storm Chasers and was honored with the Dick Howser Award in 2014.
LaRoche returns to Northwest Arkansas for a second season as the hitting coach and will be in his seventh season with the Royals' organization.
Kuntz is back for a second tour in Northwest Arkansas as an assistant coach after serving the same role with the team in 2023. Kuntz was selected by Kansas City in the 28th round of the 2013 first-year player draft after playing four years at the University of Kansas.
Helmer returns as the coordinator of clubhouse operations. He is entering his 27th season in various roles with the organization, first for the Wichita Wranglers (nine years) and then as the home clubhouse attendant in Northwest Arkansas (14 years), before he was promoted to the coordinator of clubhouse operations by Kansas City in 2021.
The Naturals will open their 2024 regular season on April 5 against the Tulsa Drillers, the Class AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Arvest Ballpark.