ST. AUGUSTINE – Former Flagler College first baseman Zach Bove was hired on Friday (Dec. 23) to the Kansas City Royals coaching staff. Bove was named the Director of Major League Pitching Strategy on the new Royals manager Matt Quatraro's staff.

"I am excited about this opportunity and the people I will be working with," said Bove. "The Royals are a great organization and I really connected with the staff and the front office. There are a lot of talented pitchers on the roster and our goal is to support and help them reach their potential."

Bove played for the Saints from 2009-10 where he had a .358 career batting average along with 131 hits, 27 doubles, seven home runs, 72 runs batted in and 60 runs scored. His .993 fielding percentage ranks second all-time at Flagler. Bove was selected as the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week on April 19, 2010 and he is a member of the Flagler baseball All-Decade Team (2010s).

"I am really proud of Zach," said Flagler head baseball coach Dave Barnett. "He continues to grow the Flagler baseball tree at the Major League level. His hard work has certainly paid off."

Bove has spent the past four seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization, including the last two years as the Assistant Minor League Pitching Coordinator. He started his career with the franchise as the Pitching Coach for the Gulf Coast League Twins in 2019. In his time with the organization, Bove developed a strong reputation for his use of analytics when helping pitchers improve, especially when developing new pitches.  

Prior to that, he spent seven seasons (2012-18) on the coaching staff at the College of Central Florida, where he played before his time at Flagler. In his final five years with the Patriots, Bove was the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Patriots. He helped develop six pitchers who were drafted by a Major League team.

Bove joins fellow Flagler alum Chris Holt in the Major League coaching ranks. Holt just finished his second season as the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Another Flagler alum, Jonathan Armold, is a Minor League Pitching Coordinator with the New York Mets. Jimmy Leo is the bullpen catcher for the Atlanta Braves. Also, Brett West and Steven DiPuglia are scouts with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros, respectively.  

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