Seitzer named Blue Jays' new hitting coach

KANSAS CITY -- Former Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer has been hired as the Blue Jays' new hitting coach.

Seitzer, 51, was the Royals' hitting coach for four years, 2009-12. He is being reunited with Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. They were on the Kansas City staff together for three years when Gibbons was bench coach.

A 12-year Major League player, Seitzer was twice an American League All-Star. He broke in with the Royals in 1986 and became a lineup fixture in '87, hitting .323 with 207 hits and finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year Award voting to Oakland's Mark McGwire.

Seitzer hit .294 in six years with Kansas City. He also played for Milwaukee, Oakland and Cleveland. In 2007, he was the D-backs' hitting coach.