KANSAS CITY, Mo.**—The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have hired **Johnny DiPuglia as Special Assistant of International Scouting and Fred Guerrero as Coordinator of Player Evaluation.

“We are thrilled to announce the newest additions to our International Scouting staff, Fred Guerrero and Johnny DiPuglia,” said Rene Francisco, Sr. VP of Major League & International Operations/Assistant GM. “Their wealth of experience and stellar reputations as scouts make them valuable assets to our team. In their roles, they will actively contribute to all facets of international scouting operations. We look forward to the enhanced expertise and success they bring to our organization.”

DiPuglia joins the Royals from the Washington Nationals organization, where he spent the last 15 seasons overseeing the club’s international operations. Most recently, he was the Vice President & Assistant General Manager of International Operations.

DiPuglia was named the Professional Scouts International Scout of the Year in 2019. Following the 2020 season, he was inducted into the South Florida Baseball Hall of Fame for his more than 30 years of service to the South Florida baseball community.

Prior to joining the Nationals, DiPuglia spent 11 seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 1999-2009, during which he was part of two World Series championships in 2004 and 2007. He also spent two seasons with the San Francisco Giants from 1998-99 and nine seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1990-98.

During his scouting career, DiPuglia has been involved in the signings of Juan Soto, José Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramírez, Aníbal Sánchez, Placido Polanco, Jorge De La Rosa, Rick Ankiel and Eli Marrero, among many others.

Guerrero joins the Royals from the Minnesota Twins organization, where he has served as the Director of Latin American Scouting & US Integration since 2014. He was hired by the Twins in 2004 as Dominican Scout Supervisor. During his 20 years with the organization, Guerrero has been involved in the signings of players such as Luis Arraez, Yennier Cano, Danny Santana, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sanó.