The Kansas City Royals announced Thursday that the club has invited left-handed pitcher Brandon Sisk to Major League Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz.  Sisk becomes the 17th non-roster player to receive an invitation.  The Royals have now invited eight pitchers, three catchers, three infielders and three outfielders.

Sisk, 26, opened 2011 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, making 16 relief appearances.  The Elkhart, Texas, resident was then promoted to Omaha (AAA) where he went 4-2 with two saves and a 1.41 ERA in 25 outings, all in relief.  Signed from the Independent Bay Area Toros on July 8, 2008, Sisk was also a part of Major League camp in 2011.

Pitchers and catchers will report to Surprise on Monday, February 20.  Workouts for pitchers begin the following afternoon, Tuesday, February 21.  The remainder of the squad will report on Friday, February 24 and begin workouts for the 2012 campaign on Saturday afternoon, February 25.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has agreed to terms on one-year Major League contracts with right-handed pitchers Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino, and left-handed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez for the 2012 season, avoiding arbitration with all three.  Consistent with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.  Outfielder Alex Gordon is the Royals lone remaining arbitration-eligible player.

The 28-year-old Hochevar compiled an 11-11 record with a 4.68 ERA in 31 starts in 2011.  He set career bests in wins, starts, innings (198.0), strikeouts (128) and quality starts (16).  The Royals Opening Day starter last season was 6-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 12 starts following the All-Star break, holding opponents to a .222 average which ranked sixth in the American League among starters.  The first-overall selection in the 2006 June Free Agent Draft resides in Knoxville, Tenn., with his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Laney.

Paulino, 28, joined the Royals on May 26, 2011 in a trade with the Colorado Rockies for cash considerations.  He was 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for Kansas City following the deal, striking out 119 in 124.2 innings.  He struck out 8.59 hitters per nine innings as a Royal, which ranks as the fifth-best in franchise history among hurlers with at least 120 innings.  Paulino followed up his 2011 campaign by being selected as a member of the MLB All-Star team that toured Taiwan in early November, starting the third game of the five-game exhibition series.  Paulino initially signed with the Houston Astros as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2001.  Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he now resides in Pearland, Texas, with his wife, Paola, and daughter, Victoria.

Sanchez, 29, was acquired from San Francisco with left-handed pitcher Ryan Verdugo on November 7, 2011 in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera.  He has posted a 3.75 ERA over his last three seasons with the Giants in 85 games (81 starts).  In 2011, Sanchez was 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 starts before missing the final month and a half with a left ankle sprain.  He posted a breakout 2010 campaign for the World Series champions, going 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA, tossing 5.0 shutout innings in Game 162 vs. San Diego as the Giants clinched the N.L. West.  The 6-foot-2, 198-pounder is 38-46 with a 4.26 ERA in 174 career outings, including 118 starts.  He tossed the 13th no-hitter in Giants history on July 10, 2009 vs. San Diego.  Sanchez has posted 736 strikeouts in 708.0 innings, a rate of 9.355 strikeouts per nine innings which ranks as the third-best in baseball (min. 700 IP) since 2006, trailing the Giants’ Tim Lincecum (9.87) and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (9.360), who have won three of the last four National League Cy Young Awards.  Sanchez was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and now resides in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico.  He has one son, Christian.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals have announced the minor league coaching staffs for the 2012 season.  The Royals also named their minor league coordinators for next season.

Affiliate staffs:

The leader of the defending Pacific Coast League champion Omaha Storm Chasers remains intact, as 2011 Mike Coolbaugh award winner Mike Jirschele returns to his managerial post for a 10th-consecutive season.  The Wisconsin native also managed the club from 1995-1997 and is a four-time winner of the Dick Howser Award (1992, 1994, 2005 and 2011).  Doug Henry will tutor the pitchers at Omaha for the third straight season while Tommy Gregg will serve his fourth season as the hitting coach.  Dave Iannicca and Joey Greany will serve as the trainer and strength and conditioning coach, respectively.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals return Brian Poldberg at the helm for the fifth straight season.  Poldberg has led the Naturals to the playoffs in each of his four seasons and was named an All-Star in 2010 and 2011.  Poldberg’s staff will include 2011 All-Star pitching coach Larry Carter, who enters his 15th season in the Royals organization and 11th at the Double-A level, and 2010-11 Texas League All-Star Terry Bradshaw, who will tutor the hitters at Double-A for the third consecutive year.  Masa Koyanagi and George Timke will work as the trainer and strength and conditioning coach, respectively.

Vance Wilson will jump a level and serve as the manager of the Class-A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2012 after leading the Kane County Cougars to the playoffs last season in his debut season as a skipper.  Steve Luebber will remain as the pitching coach while former big league outfielder Damon Hollins will be the hitting coach.  Trainer James Stone and strength and conditioning coach Adam Vish round out Wilson’s staff.

The Royals will begin their second season with the Kane County (Ill.) Cougars as the club’s Midwest League (A) affiliate.  Kane County will be managed by Brian Buchanan, who skippered Idaho Falls in 2010 and 2011.  Jim Brower returns as the Cougars pitching coach. Julio Bruno, the hitting coach for Surprise in 2011, will serve in that same capacity on Buchanan’s staff.  Mark Keiser and David Kathmann will serve as the trainer and strength and conditioning coach, respectively.

Omar Ramirez, who was the hitting coach for Idaho Falls in 2011, will be on the bench as the manager of the Chukars in 2012.  Jerry Nyman will serve as the Chukars pitching coach for the second straight campaign.  Justin Gemoll will tutor the hitters at Idaho Falls after filling the same role in 2011 at Wilmington (A-Advanced).  Nathan Dine joins the Royals organization as the strength and conditioning coach.  The Chukars trainer has yet to be announced.

Tommy Shields joins the Kansas City system as the manager with Burlington (R) in the Appalachian League.  Shields spent the last seven seasons as the Atlanta Braves minor league infield coordinator.  Carlos Martinez will be the pitching coach after working in the same position for Surprise in 2011.  Jon Williams will work with the hitters.  Trainer Adrian Ramon and strength and conditioning coach Richard White both join the Royals organization and round out Shields’ staff.  Ramon comes to the Royals from Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Royals rookie league squad in Surprise, Ariz., will be managed by Darryl Kennedy for the third straight season.  Kennedy’s staff will include Mark Davis, who returns as a pitching coach for Surprise after a season as the minor league pitching coordinator; pitching coach/rehab coach Carlos Reyes, who joined the Royals in 2008; hitting coaches Andre David and Nelson Liriano; coach and former Royals postseason hero Willie Aikens; trainer Saburo Hagihara; and strength and conditioning coach Luis Perez, who also serves the club as the Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator.

Victor Baez will work his fifth year as the Dominican Academy field coordinator.  Under the direction of manager Jose Mejia, the remainder of the staff includes Rafael Roque (pitching); Abraham Nunez (hitting); Ramon Martinez (infield); Onil Joseph (outfield); Sergio de Luna (coach); Martin Berroa (trainer); Raymundo Sido (trainer); and Jose Rosario (strength and conditioning coach).

Coordinators and Roving positions:

Tony Tijerina enters his sixth year with KC and his second as minor league field coordinator.

Bill Fischer, a former Major League Pitching Coach with the Reds, Red Sox and Rays, will work his 65th year in professional baseball in 2012 as Senior Pitching Advisor.   Fischer, who re-joined the organization in 2007, also worked with the club from 1975-1978 and in 1984.

2012 will be Jack Maloof’s fifth season with the Royals as a special assistant to player development and minor league hitting coordinator.

Rusty Kuntz, after serving in 2008-2009 and for the final four months of 2010 on the Royals Major League staff as first base coach, will work his second season as special assistant to general manager/player development.

Rick Knapp, who served as the Major League pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers the last three seasons, joins the Royals as the minor league pitching coordinator.

Glenn Hubbard, a 10-year Major League veteran and a coach for the Atlanta Braves for 21 seasons, returns for his second year as the club’s infield coordinator.

John Wathan returns for his 40th season in baseball, his 36th with the Royals, as a special assistant to player development/scouting.

Chris DeLucia will serve his third season as the minor league medical coordinator in 2012.

Sean McQueeney joins the Royals organization as minor league rehab coordinator and physical therapist.  He was most recently with the Seattle Mariners organization.

Tony Medina is the Latin America medical coordinator after working the last eight years as a trainer at various levels.

Garrett Sherrill returns to the Royals after two seasons with the San Francisco Giants and will serve as the minor league strength and conditioning coordinator, taking over for Ryan Stoneberg who was promoted to the Major League position.

Luis Perez, as mentioned above, will serve as the Latin America strength and conditioning coordinator in addition to working for Surprise.

Nick Leto and Will Simon return as the manager of Arizona operations and minor league equipment manager, respectively.

Alvin Cuevas returns for his fifth season as manager of Dominican operations.

— Royals Media Relations —