Obviously, managing the Kansas City Royals can be a tough job. While they are in some ways a proud and beloved little franchise in the Midwest, it’s no secret that they operate on a smaller payroll.
Therefore, it was quite a feat that Ned Yost stood at the managerial post from 2010 until retiring after this past 2019 season. Unfortunately, Yost’s tenure ended with back-to-back 100-loss seasons. However, he brought the Royals an AL pennant in 2014 and then a World Series Championship in 2015. Undeniably, those two years made it a success despite the failures.
Now, Mike Matheny has been named as the next manager of the Kansas City Royals. Remember, Matheny managed in the Midwest already when he was with the Cardinals from 2012 to 2018, guiding St. Louis to a World Series appearance in 2013.
Per league source, the #Royals have hired Mike Matheny as their next manager. A press conference to introduce Matheny could happen today.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) October 31, 2019
The famous head of the Royals’ front office Dayton Moore weighs in on the hiring of Matheny:
“Our entire organization is delighted to announce and celebrate the hiring of Mike Matheny,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. “Every department has had the pleasure to work and interact with him this past season. Through this interaction, it became very clear to our leadership team that Mike is the obvious person to lead our baseball team. Mike Matheny is a passionate leader with strong virtues, intelligence, and a relentless commitment to help players reach their full potential.”
This is likely a good fit for the Royals organization. For example, Matheny knows the climate of that region in terms of fanhood and has a career winning percentage of .555 in over 1,000 career games managed. Matheny managed in a World Series himself in 2013, so he knows what it takes to get to the big stage.
While the Royals are in the best shape at the big league level, they aren’t completely without pieces. Notably, Jorge Soler and Aalberto Mondesi are two impact guys he starts with right away that we are sure he’s excited about.
Finally, it’s good for the sport if Matheny can help get the Royals turned around a little bit. For every giant in the sport like the Red Sox or Yankees, it’s good to have variance every couple years and see an organization who does things a little different have success.
