Shields Returns with Familiar Field Staff for 2024 Naturals Season

SPRINGDALE, Ark. – The Kansas City Royals have announced the 2024 field staff assignments for their minor league affiliates today – Wednesday, January 24, 2024 – with Tommy Shields returning for a second season as the field manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. 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 newcomers Strength & Conditioning Coach Ted Elsner, Athletic 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 the 2023 season, including a 35-34 record in the second half. Prior to last season, Shields served as the bench coach for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers in 2022. This year will mark his 29^th season of working in player development.

Shields is a former 15th-round selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1986 amateur draft out of the University of Notre Dame and he played in the Pirates’ system from 1986-1990. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the spring of 1991 and made his major league debut a year later. Following his stint with Baltimore, he spent 1993-1994 with the Chicago Cubs and opened the 1993 season with the big league club.

After his playing career, Shields has been a coach, manager, scout, and player development coordinator in the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals organizations. He currently resides in Lititz, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Melonni, and their four kids.

Larry Carter returns to the Naturals as the club’s pitching coach. “LC” was the NWA pitching coach in 2023, serving as the Major League Bullpen Coach for the Kansas City Royals from 2020-2022. This will be his 30^th season as a coach, including a stint as the pitching coach for the Naturals from 2008-2012. In 2013-2014 he was the pitching coach for the Omaha Storm Chasers and was honored with the Dick Howser Award in 2014.

Andy LaRoche returns to Northwest Arkansas for a second season as the Naturals hitting coach and will be in his seventh season with the Royals. The former 39^th round pick by Los Angeles in 2003 enjoyed a six-year big league career with the Dodgers (2007-2008), Pittsburgh (2008-2010), Oakland (2011), and Toronto (2013).

Kevin 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 28^th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft after playing four years at the University of Kansas.

Danny Helmer returns as the coordinator of clubhouse operations for the Naturals. He is entering his 27^th 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. Helmer was honored as a co-recipient of the Royals’ Matt Minker Award in 2019 and is a three-time winner of the Texas League Visiting Clubhouse Award (2008, 2014, & 2018). In 2023 Helmer was named the Texas League Home Clubhouse Attendant of the Year.

Brad Groleau, enters his sixth year with the Royals and was the athletic trainer for the Quad Cities River Bandits from 2021 & 2022 where he won the 2022 Midwest League Athletic Training Award, presented by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society. During the 2022 season he also served as an Athletic Trainer in the Arizona Fall League. Prior to his time with the Royals Groleau was a graduate assistant Athletic Trainer for the University of Nebraska Omaha and interned with the Omaha Storm Chasers. Brad has a master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Ted Elsner takes over as the team’s Strength and Conditioning coach for the 2023 season and is entering his third year with the Royals organization. A graduate of Concordia University – St. Paul, Elsner served as the Columbia Fireflies (Low-A) S&C coach in 2023 and spent the 2022 season with the AZL Royals. Prior to his time with Kansas City, he was Concordia University – St. Paul’s strength and conditioning coach and interned with Texas Christian University.

Sam Eades will serve as the Naturals Assistant Pitching Coach this season, his first with the Kansas City Royals. Prior to the Royals, he worked for Tread Athletics, a training facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Assistant Hitting Coach Chris Nelson rejoins Northwest Arkansas ahead of his seventh season with the Royals organization, having served as the Naturals Bench Coach in 2018. Nelson was taken with the ninth overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies and played in 282 games over five years in the Majors.

Player Development Trainee Kyle Flanagan joins the Naturals in his second year with the Royals. He’s also worked for the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will begin their 2024 regular season on Friday, April 5th with Opening Night against the Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Arvest Ballpark. Season tickets, mini packs, individual tickets, and group tickets are now available at www.nwanaturals.com.