Kansas City Royals: Mike Matheny good fit as next manager

When prospects struggle and the team is in contention, a team like the Cardinals doesn’t have room (like the Royals in 2020) for patience.

I personally don’t believe Grichuk or Wong had much left to prove in the minors, but they also weren’t performing well enough to remain on a contending roster. Getting them confidence against minor league competition seemed to work in the long run as both players are reaching their projections now.

There is also the issue with a bullying environment that Matheny turned a blind eye to, involving a veteran and a rookie. I think Matheny learned from his mistakes with clubhouse communication and we won’t see this type of discord with the Royals. Matheny also won’t be under immediate pressure to win, so he can be much more patient giving prospects a chance to develop at the MLB level.

As a player, Matheny played 12 years in the majors as a catcher specializing in defense winning four gold gloves along the way. After retiring, Matheny returned to the Cardinals organization in 2008 as a special advisor where he spent the time (2008 – 2011) as a roving instructor in the Cardinals’ minor league system.

Mike Matheny’s leadership, instincts, attention to detail, and willingness to do the little things allowed him to become the Cardinals manager following Hall of Famer Tony La Russa’s retirement.

Matheny was less aggressive on the base-paths compared with Ned Yost in regards to weaponizing speed and small ball. Matheny never had a roster with the same speed as Yost did during their tenures. I don’t have any doubt Matheny would utilize the Royals 2020 roster and their capabilities on the basepaths to manufacture runs when runs are at a premium.