With Mike Matheny out, who could Royals target as their next manager?
https://theathletic.com/3662893/2022...er-candidates/
To some within the Royals organization, the managerial transition from Ned Yost to Mike Matheny looked like a fait accompli long before Yost announced his retirement from the dugout at the end of the 2019 season. When Matheny joined Kansas City’s front office in 2018, as an advisor to Dayton Moore, several Royals officials noted that Matheny presented the sort of package — a decorated playing career as a catcher, a prior managerial tenure in St. Louis marked mostly by success, not to mention a lantern jaw and stern exterior — that might give him a leg up in the race to replace Yost.
So when Yost stepped down, few were surprised when the team’s search process landed on the man who had spent the previous 11 months looming as the likely replacement. Moore chose Matheny over internal candidates like Pedro Grifol and Vance Wilson. He targeted Matheny as the man with the ability to lead Kansas City through a second rebuilding effort and back into playoff contention.
Less than three years later, neither Moore nor Matheny hold power in Kansas City. Royals owner John Sherman fired Moore on Sept. 21 as the team blundered to its sixth consecutive losing season amid concerns about the team’s player-development system. Matheny became the next domino to fall, when general manager J.J. Picollo fired Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred late Wednesday, only hours after the Royals finished a 97-loss season.
Kansas City Royals Executive Vice President and General Manager J.J. Picollo announced that manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred will not return for the 2023 season.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) October 6, 2022
The changes are not expected to end with Matheny. Inside the organization, according to multiple team officials, there are expectations the club will overhaul its pitching-development team in the coming weeks. As the losses piled up this summer, Royals officials grew irritated by comparisons to their division rivals in Cleveland, a franchise with similar payroll restrictions but a bountiful pipeline of pitching prospects — a franchise in which Sherman just happened to once be a minority investor.
Sherman dropped a hint about the new direction of the organization when he described the club’s need to “make more data-driven decisions.” Sherman is expected to empower the analytics department run by assistant general manager Daniel Mack. The numbers will play a bigger role in both player acquisition, from the big-league roster to the draft, and in player deployment.
Matheny went 165-219 with Kansas City. The club was not expected to contend for the World Series in any of those seasons. But the front office — not to mention fans — expected the club to improve. Matheny drew criticism from rival executives and evaluators for his inability to optimize the rosters he was given. The results spoke louder than any words.
Sherman has tasked Picollo with pushing the organization closer to the proverbial cutting edge. The team could turn to Grifol, a well-regarded coach who worked in player development in Seattle, managed in the minors and has drawn praise for his work with seven-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez. Grifol would maintain continuity for the players — which might be something the organization wants to avoid, through no fault of Grifol’s own.
Picollo may feel compelled to look outside his organization. One consistent criticism of Moore’s regime, lobbed by others around the game, was its insularity. The Royals believed in their process. That process has proven insufficient. It would make sense for Picollo, in searching for a new manager, to look toward coaches with experience in forward-thinking organizations, especially those with a background in player development and an open mind toward new ways of thinking about the game.
With that in mind, here is a preliminary list of candidates who would make sense for the Royals to pursue:
Joe Espada, Houston bench coach
Given the uncertainty in Houston, where Dusty Baker is managing without a contract beyond 2022, it may be difficult for the Royals to land Espada. Baker has said he would like to manage after this season. But if Astros owner Jim Crane decides to move on, Espada has been a vital part of the Houston operation since his arrival in 2018. He also spent several seasons coaching the infield for the Yankees, after a similar stint as the Marlins’ third-base coach.
George Lombard, Detroit bench coach
You want data-driven decisions? The Dodgers got into a flap with the league office for using lasers to mark outfield positioning during Lombard’s time as the outfield coach. He was a vital cog in the Los Angeles machine before taking a job as A.J. Hinch’s bench coach. The Tigers do not appear to be making much progress. But Lombard’s profile is still on the rise.
Clayton McCullough, Dodgers first-base coach
McCullough spent most of his career in player development before the Dodgers promoted him to manager Dave Roberts’ staff in 2021. In his prior role, he operated as the team’s minor-league field coordinator, with responsibility for the prospect-laden alternate site in the COVID-altered 2020 season. The Mets interviewed him as part of the process that eventually led to Buck Showalter.
Matt Quatraro, Tampa Bay bench coach
Quatraro has become a popular name at this time of year. He interviewed with the Mets and the Athletics for managerial openings last offseason. He checks a variety of appealing boxes for Kansas City: He coached on Terry Francona’s Cleveland staff for four years before becoming Kevin Cash’s No. 2 with the Rays. He also has experience in player development, having acted as Tampa Bay’s minor-league hitting coordinator before taking the job in Cleveland.
Mike Shildt, San Diego acting third-base coach
It might be tough for Picollo to sell the hiring of another recently deposed manager of the cross-state Cardinals. But Shildt did lead St. Louis to the playoffs in 2021, including on a 17-game winning streak, before getting iced shortly after the season.
Will Venable, Boston bench coach
Venable, who played for the better parts of a decade with San Diego, has spent the past two years working besides Alex Cora, who is considered one of baseball’s better tacticians. Before joining the Red Sox, Venable apprenticed in Theo Epstein’s front office and then spent three seasons coaching for the Cubs. He won’t turn 40 until later this month.
Dusty Wathan, Philadelphia third-base coach
His father, John, played for the Royals for a decade, managed them for half a decade and was a member of the front office until he just recently retired. Dusty managed his way up the chain of Philadelphia’s minor-league system before joining Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2017. Wathan has stayed on the staff despite turnover from Kapler to Joe Girardi to current interim skipper Rob Thomson.
Walt Weiss, Atlanta bench coach
Weiss was coaching high school baseball when the Rockies hired him to manage their club heading into 2013. Of course, he was a big-league shortstop for nearly 15 years before that and spent time in Colorado’s front office. He met the same fate as most everyone who tries to win at Coors Field. Since leaving Colorado, he has worked beside Brian Snitker in Atlanta.
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