Kansas City Royals: What Can Go Wrong In 2014
By Joel Wagler
Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost (3) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
NED YOST
I have no statistical evidence or hard facts to compare Ned Yost to other managers, other than his win/loss record and that isn’t always a fair comparison. Great players make great managers.
In my opinion, Ned Yost isn’t a great manage, and may not even be a good one. This just may be me, but it scares me.
His bullheadedness in insisting on batting players like Alcides Escobar and Chris Getz in the top two batting spots of the order is an indication that he just doesn’t understand statistical part of the game. Sacrifice bunting in the first inning is giving up outs, and Yost still hasn’t learned that lesson.
As an armchair manager, I know, deep down, I would find fault in just about any manager. That is the nature of being a passionate fan, but Ned Yost just doesn’t seem to get the finer points of baseball at times.
For a former catcher, he doesn’t seem to have a good feel for pitchers either. It seems like he pulls guys too early sometimes, and leaves others in too long. Of course, when it works, he is a genius, and when it blows up, he is an idiot. That is the nature of fandom.
Yost just doesn’t instill confidence in me if it comes down to a tight game in a tight race. I just don’t think he will make enough right decisions. If this is true, it could be a disaster for the Royals.