Royals hire Rays’ Hoover as bench coach for Quatraro

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays field coordinator Paul Hoover to serve as the bench coach for Matt Quatraro on Monday, giving the new Kansas City manager a familiar sounding board on his initial staff.

Hoover and Quatraro have known each other for more than 20 years, dating to their days as teammates with Triple-A Durham in the early 2000s. They spent the past four years together on the staff of Rays manager Kevin Cash, helping the club make the postseason each season and reach the World Series in 2020.

Hoover, who played parts of seven big league seasons as a catcher, was responsible for working with the Tampa Bay defense and catchers. He also provided input for Cash and Quatraro when it came to making in-game decisions.

The 46-year-old Hoover began his coaching career in 2012 as the manager of the Gulf Coast League Rays. He also spent six seasons as minor league catching coordinator for the organization.

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