Dayton Moore marks his 12th full season with the Kansas City Royals in 2018, being named Senior Vice President-Baseball Operations/General Manager on May 30, 2006. He officially assumed his duties on June 8, 2006, becoming the sixth general manager in franchise history.
From day one, the goal Moore set out to accomplish was bringing a World Championship back to Kansas City, a dream that was brought to fruition in 2015. The Royals bested the New York Mets in five games to win the franchise’s first World Series championship in 30 years. The club became just the fourth since 1997 to reach the Fall Classic in back-to-back seasons after falling to the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series.
Moore’s tenure in Kansas City has been one of the most successful runs in franchise history as the Royals have boasted 15 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, 27 All-Star Game selections and a Cy Young Award winner. Since the 2011 season, no Major League club has earned more Rawlings Gold Gloves, winning 14 of them. KC’s 20 All- Star selections since 2013 are also the most in the American League and tied for the most in the Majors.
The 2015 season was one for the ages as Kansas City stormed to their first American League Central Division title, winning a league-best 95 games, their highest total since 1980. The club became just the second in Major League history to improve its win total in six-straight seasons. Along the way, the Royals set records in attendance, drawing 2.7 million fans to their 81 home games; local television viewership, recording an MLB-best 12.3 household rating during the 2015 season; and All-Star Game selections, sending seven players to the Midsummer Classic, which included four players who were selected as starters.
In 2016, Moore had the honor of being the featured speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast Leadership Luncheon in Washington, D.C. The National Prayer Breakfast is a series of meetings, luncheons and dinners, established in 1953 under Kansas native, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Moore has received several other accolades over the last four seasons, being named to the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame and the Kansan of the Year in 2014, while he was also been tabbed “Executive of the Year” by Major League Baseball (GIBBY Awards) in both 2014 and 2015 and the same distinction from the Kansas City Sports Commission in 2015. He was recognized by the Boys & Girls Club with the John J. “Buck” O’Neil Diamond MVP Award as well as the Negro League Baseball Museum’s Rube Foster Award for American League Executive of the Year in 2016.
Under the direction of Moore, the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy will officially open in March, 2018. The mission statement of the academy is to “utilize baseball and softball, fostering a culture for urban youth that eliminates social barriers while inspiring educational advancement, community awareness and character development that creates a reciprocating lifestyle of excellence.”
A leader in the Kansas City community, Moore is also a regular speaker at numerous community events each year. In 2013, Moore started the “C” You In the Major Leagues Foundation. It was created to support youth baseball, education, families in crisis and faith-based programs and organizations. The foundation’s mission is to provide hope and support to children and families by using youth baseball to develop future character-driven leaders. With that in mind, Moore started the “C” You at the “K” program in 2016, bringing high school students from six local youth organizations — the KCMO Police Athletic League, Ozanam, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Kansas City, the Guadalupe Center, and the two area RBI programs — for a special evening at Kauffman Stadium, including a character-based leadership discussion with the students. Some of the other organizations that have benefitted from “C” You In the Major Leagues are the Jewish Community Center, Higher M-Pact, National Center for Fathering, and the City Union Mission. Following the 2014 season, Moore wrote a book, “More Than a Season” (updated in 2016), with all of the author proceeds going to “C” You In the Major Leagues.
Moore, a native of Wichita, Kan., brought an impressive resume to the Royals in 2006, having previously worked for the Atlanta Braves’ organization during their run of 14-straight division titles.
With Atlanta, Moore served three years as Director of Player Personnel, beginning in 2002. He originally joined the Braves’ organization as an area scouting supervisor and was promoted to the front office in August, 1996 as an assistant in the baseball operations department.
Before joining the Braves, Moore served as an assistant baseball coach at his alma mater, George Mason University (1990-94). He received a Bachelor’s degree (1989) and a Master’s degree (1992) from GMU. Moore and his wife, Marianne, reside in Leawood, Kan., and have two daughters, Ashley and Avery, and a son, Robert.