Quote:
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho
I would say the organization has a lot of budding potential.
But you have to have the right guys pushing buttons on a daily basis, and the front office has to do a good job adding around the prospects.
I would argue that the manager, pitching coach, and previous hitting coach were all guys who are not optimal for the Royals situation or environment.
Cal Eldred has been awful in KC. His guys are slow to adjust, nibble too much, and don't develop/improve. He had never been a pitching coach before this job and it shows. He also is stubbornly old school and resistant to seeking advantages through technology or data.
Mike Matheny has never been a good manager. He doesn't manage the clubhouse well, he has a shitty feel for the game, and he tightens his teams up. In St. Louis, he had the benefit of inheriting a defending World Series champ that also had a top 5 farm system, so he won a lot of games (though every Cardinals fan you talk to about him will tell you they underachieved with him at the helm). They also will tell you he was awful with younger players and overly loyal to really crappy veterans.
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I do think there is an "atmosphere" problem. Seems like the 2012-2016 Royals had a lot of guys that knew that they belonged and even if they were slumping, they still acted like they knew they were going to make it.
Maybe need a couple coaches and players that know how to focus and still have fun playing baseball in the major leagues.