The Kansas City Royals have decided to not renew the contract of hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, ending his four-year stint with the club, per 610 Sports Radio KC. The Royals batted .267/.317/.400 with 131 home runs as a team in 2012, ranking towards the middle in most offensive categories.

While Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar had excellent seasons at the plate, the second-year struggles of first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas may have weighed heavily in the Royals' decision to part ways with Seitzer.

Seitzer began his tenure with the Royals in 2009, taking over for recently-axed Astros hitting coach Mike Barnett. A high-on-base-percentage guy in his playing days, Seitzer was never able to translate his knack for plate discipline to the Royals' free swingers. The team topped out at a .331 on-base percentage in 2010 but hit their low point this season at .317.

The Royals batted .268/.324/.405 overall in Seitzer's four seasons as hitting coach.