KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The next Kansas City Royals manager will inherit Mike Matheny’s job title, his office and even a large chunk of his coaching staff. Yet the situation the next skipper steps into will be vastly different, almost as if the same job appeared in an alternate reality.
Not only will the front office feature new leadership for the first time in 16 years with J.J. Picollo now firmly in charge of the organization, but the shifts in dynamics are more far-reaching.
The major-league roster, the organizational depth and the relative level of expectation all put the job in a different light than where it sat following the 2019 season.
Of course, KC will only be one of the options on the managerial carousel this offseason. The Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers will also look to fill openings.
The Royals fired Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred after they finished in last place in the AL Central and recorded the fifth-worst record of any club in the majors (65-97). The Royals went 165-219 in Matheny’s three seasons.
A younger core with a higher ceiling
The distinguishing characteristics of the Royals’ roster following the 2019 season were All-Star catcher Salvador Perez coming off of a major surgery that wiped out his entire year, Whit Merrifield coming off of his first All-Star season but having been pushed off of his best position (second base) for Nicky Lopez, and sluggers Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler coming off of career years at the plate — production neither hitter has matched since.
Each member of that quartet was 28 or older (Merrifield and Perez both reached 30 by the time the pandemic-shortened season started). Veteran mainstay and franchise icon Alex Gordon came back for one final season at 36 and cemented his legacy as one of the franchise’s best defenders of all-time with his eighth Gold Glove as well as a second Platinum Glove award.
The starting pitching rotation was led by veteran left-hander Danny Duffy as well as right-handers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis. Keller and Junis both came into the season having shown flashes of their potential and had full seasons as starters under their respective belts, but both also struggled with consistency.
The other primary starting pitching options included journeymen Glenn Sparkman and Jorge Lopez. They acquired Matt Harvey on a minor league deal during the summer.
Their top pitching prospects, including Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Carlos Hernández, hadn’t thrown a pitch above Double-A. Several hadn’t pitched above Single-A.
Of the eight players who made their MLB debuts for the Royals in 2020, six were pitchers.
Following a disappointing 2022 season, the core of the Royals rosters is younger and includes a bevy of position players as well as pitchers with significantly-higher upside or potential ceilings. Yet their collective experience level is very low and assures there are growing pains ahead.
Perez, now 32, had a historically productive season in 2021 but had this season interrupted by injury and thumb surgery. He still proved a clutch hitter, a significant presence in the middle of the batting order and behind the plate with seniority and experience playing in playoff and pennant races as well as a World Series MVP.
The young core includes shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., one of the top young talents in the AL this year, as well as outfielder/catcher MJ Melendez and first baseman/designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino.
That trio, none older than 24, formed a solid top of the batting order along with Perez. Witt and Melendez are unique athletes with power, speed and versatility in the field.
Center fielder Michael A. Taylor gives the club a Gold Glove-caliber defender in the middle of the outfield as well as a stable and reliable veteran. Lopez, now one of the more experienced infielders, also has elite defensive ability as well as the versatility to play anywhere on the field.
The Royals also may now have reached the point where their youth allow players like Adalberto Mondesi and Dozier to serve as veteran depth pieces as opposed to everyday mainstays.
The pitching staff turned in one of the worst performances, statistically, in the majors this season. But they’ve got a potential ace in the 26-year-old former first-round pick Singer, who came into his own this year.
At least in theory, the young group of pitchers that includes Bubic, Lynch and Jonathan Heasley now has undergone invaluable development and gained crucial experience at the big-league level. Keller, while still battling inconsistency, still has the appearance of a workhorse. They all might benefit from a new voice and approach from the new pitching coach.
A longer leash
The Royals added multiple established veterans two years ago in Carlos Santana, Andrew Benintendi, Mike Minor and later Zack Greinke. Combined with the veterans who were already present, it raised the expectation level for the Royals heading into last season.
With the team taking a step back in the middle of this season, trading away veterans and committing playing time to inexperienced prospects, the pressure to win fades significantly in 2023.
“Now, I think it’s going to take some time to grow into a team that’s going to compete at the top of the Central year in and year out,” Picollo said during his news conference earlier this month.
The unpredictability of inexperienced players with little to no track record in the majors will protect the next manager somewhat from having to meet a certain win total in the initial stages.
A lot of the impetus will simply be on getting the most out of the young players who are still getting their feet underneath them in the majors.
“We have to help them reach their ceiling,” Picollo said. “So the focus from our manager and our pitching coach needs to be a little more process-oriented.”
More than just a core
When Baseball America published its ranking of the Royals’ top prospects heading into the 2020 season, none of the top 10 had played above Double-A. Seven of them hadn’t gone past High-A and two hadn’t played any level above Rookie ball (the lowest level of the minors).
Every decision regarding calling up prospects from 2019-22 meant weighing their readiness versus their need for further development time in the minors or more time against the highest-level competition in the minors.
Many of those players hadn’t yet been exposed to that or had minimal exposure to the upper levels of the minors.
Now, the Royals will likely have an abundance of talent in the upper levels of the minors that has already gone through the ups and downs and enjoyed success against the top prospects in the game.
Players such as outfielder/infielder Nate Eaton, second baseman Michael Massey, outfielder Brewer Hicklen, first baseman Nick Pratto, outfielder Brent Rooker, outfielder Drew Waters as well as pitchers Max Castillo, Collin Snider, Angel Zerpa, all contributed in the majors this season. A large portion of that group could begin next season back in the minors.
While that may be a tough pill for some individuals to swallow, it is an indication of the increased organizational depth the Royals now have to draw from. In recent years, their best options were inexperienced and at the lower levels of the minors.
