KC Royals: Several big changes will decide next direction for organization
By Cody Rickman
New Royals manager with Ned Yost retiring
The Royals franchise’s winningest and MLB highest playoff winning percentage manager is set to retire at the conclusion of the 2019. For all the faults and flaws of Ned Yost, he has managed the Royals to back-to-back World Series (2014 – 2015) including capturing the title in 2015.
Yost took on the task following the 2016 season of managing a rebuilding roster. The development of Hunter Dozier, Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield, and Adalberto Mondesi occurred under his watch. The next manager of the Royals will inherit a team on the rise with a promising wave of talent on its way to clubhouse between 2020 – 2023.
The San Diego Padres recently let go of their manager and look to be the most desired job in MLB this offseason. The Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals each have managers on the hot seat as we head into the offseason. The manager position for the Royals will be a coveted job this offseason with the new ownership looking to be patient and understanding until the 2022 season.
The next manager hired for the Royals may be one of the in-house staff (Mike Matheny, Pedro Grifol, Dale Sveum) or it could go to a list of other worthy candidates. The manager position may not be filled by the Royals until November when John Sherman is officially confirmed as the new owner of the franchise.
The Royals front office should run their search and interviewing process on the look-out for the following characteristics:
- Player friendly clubhouse personality and familiarity with current players/minors
- Provides a development environment (giving players opportunities and hiring exceptional support staff)
- Utilizes sabermetrics, tactician for in-game situations, and appropriate player usage