| Rusty Kuntz | |
|---|---|
 Kuntz with the Royals in 2013 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 18 | |
| Outfielder / Coach | |
| Born: February 4, 1955 Orange, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 1979, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 24, 1985, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 38 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Russell Jay Kuntz (/ˈkuːnts/ KOONTS; born February 4, 1955) is an American baseball coach and former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers between 1979 and 1985. He never appeared in more than 84 games in any season during his playing career. In the final game of the 1984 World Series, Kuntz hit a pop fly to the second baseman that became the deciding run batted in (RBI).
Kuntz grew up in Kansas and California, playing three sports in high school and community college. He went to the Division III World Series twice with California State University, Stanislaus before being selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.
After the 1984 season, Kuntz was unable to return to form the next year. He was demoted to the minor leagues early in the 1985 season and was out of professional baseball as a player shortly thereafter.
Since his playing career ended, Kuntz has worked with several MLB organizations, including the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. He has worked as an assistant to the general manager, minor league coach, roving instructor and major league base coach. From 2012 to 2017, he served as the first base coach for the Kansas City Royals, and has received substantial praise for his contributions to the team's success during that period. "Rusty Kuntz," Royals manager Ned Yost has said, "is the best first base coach in baseball."[1]
He elected not to coach in the 2020 season, but he returned to the Royals as their first base coach for 2021.
- ^ Verducci, T. Secret Decoder Kings. Sports Illustrated, Vol. 124, No. 12 (March 28, 2016), p. 71.