Sr. Vice President - Major League and International Operations/Assistant GM
Rene Francisco is in his 18th season with the Royals and third as the Club’s Sr. Vice President, Major League & International Operations/Assistant GM, after being promoted on Nov. 3, 2021. He served the previous seven years as the Vice President/Assistant General Manager-Major League & International Operations, beginning in 2015. He was originally named Special Assistant to the General Manager/International Operations on Aug. 13, 2006 and promoted to Assistant GM/International Operations on Nov. 2, 2012.
Francisco joined the Royals after working for the Atlanta Braves as Director of International Scouting in 2005. He returned to Atlanta after spending three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Director of International Scouting. He initially joined the Braves in 1993 as an International Scout, a position he held for three seasons before he was promoted to Area Coordinator (Florida) during the 1998 season. He was the team’s International Coordinator for Latin America from 2000-02.
He attended and played baseball at Indian River State College and Jacksonville University before being drafted in the 38th round by the Chicago Cubs in 1989. An outfielder, Francisco played two seasons in the minors before joining Palm Beach Community College as a coach.
He and his wife, Claudia, reside in Wellington, Fla. Their son, Diego, was selected by the Royals in the 40th round of the 2014 Draft.