Executive Vice President & General Manager
J.J. Picollo is entering his 19th season with the Royals and third full season as the Executive Vice President and General Manager. He was named the seventh General Manager in franchise history on Sept. 12, 2021 and was elevated to his current role a year later. Under Picollo’s leadership, the Royals have hired more than 30 new people in Baseball Operations since he was named Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations in September 2022.
The Royals spent $110M on free agents during the 2023-24 offseason, the most among American League teams. That number does not include the extension of Bobby Witt Jr., who in February 2024 signed the biggest contract in franchise history, a 14-year agreement that includes 11 years guaranteed.
Those offseason efforts led the Royals to an 86-76 record in 2024, resulting in a postseason berth and a 30-win increase from the previous season. The 2024 Royals were the third team in Major League history, according to Elias, to make the postseason following a 100-loss season. They were also just the sixth team in the 162-game Era (since 1961) to have a 30-win improvement from one season to the next (excluding shortened seasons). Kansas City’s turnaround led to Picollo finishing as the runner-up in the 2024 Executive of the Year voting.
Picollo has been instrumental in Kansas City’s player development during his tenure with the club. Since his arrival in 2006, the Royals have had 36 different players, coaches or trainers be selected to the All-Star Game, combining for a total of 59 All-Star selections. Of the 21 All-Star players among that group, 11 were originally drafted or signed by the Royals. During the same time, the Royals have produced nine different players who have earned a Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and that group has combined for 23 Gold Gloves. During Picollo’s tenure, the Royals have also had five different players combine for nine Louisville Silver Slugger Awards.
Picollo came to the Royals after serving as the Director of Minor League Operations for the Atlanta Braves beginning in 2005 and had been with the organization since 1999. Prior to his promotion as Director of Minor League Operations, Picollo served as the Assistant Director of Player Development after working as an Area Scouting Supervisor for Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Before joining the Braves in 1999, Picollo served as Recruiting Coordinator and Hitting/Catching Instructor for five years, three at George Mason University and two at The George Washington University. He was drafted on two occasions by the Cincinnati Reds (1989 and 1993) and eventually signed with the New York Yankees after his senior year at GMU in 1994. He played his first two years of college baseball at North Carolina State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at GMU and his master’s degree in sports administration from The George Washington University.
He and his wife, Nicole, reside in Leawood, Kan., and have three children: Michael, Ryan and Lauren.