Willie Aikens hired as Minor League Coach by Kansas City Royals – MLB News
The Kansas City Royals have recently announced that they have hired Willie Aikens as their Minor League Coach.
It has been a rocky-road for Aikens as he has served 14 years in prison for gun and cocaine charges. He had a tremendous Major League Baseball in 1980’s as he led the Royals to their first ever World Series victory.
"I'm blessed, I'm thankful, I'm at peace, I'm joyful and I'm thrilled with life right now," Aikens told the sources on Tuesday. "I'd like to put my skills as a hitter to work for the players in the Royals organization."
Although he has had a rough time over the past few years, Aikens has become a changed man and has decided to get his life back on track. The Royals admired his playing skills and also the fact that he has managed to get life in order. He has tremendous experience
as a player and the Royals feel that he can provide a positive impact in their Minor League setup.
"He'll primarily work with our lower levels but he's not going to be isolated to just one place," Royals’ general manager Dayton Moore said. "We want his influence to be felt in a number of places and he'll work under the direction of Jack Maloof, our Minor
League hitting coordinator."
Aikens had a batting average of .271 with 415 RBIs and 110 home-runs. His experience on the field is exactly what the Royals are looking for the help guide their Minor League set up into producing some high quality players that can be eventually moved up
into the Major Leagues.
It is a testament to the Royals to bring in a player that put so much effort into achieving great things for the team in their past. Also the fact that Aikens is looking to get his life on track and be a part of what he loves the most, baseball. Aikens will
be a tremendous asset to the Royals and will definitely make a positive impact in their Minor League set up for years to come.
Tags: