Daily Clips
October 3, 2017
LOCAL
Royals cut ties with Eiland, Wakamatsu
October 2, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Milestone, slam, robbery lead '17 highlight reel
Royals make respectable run in final season for core group
October 2, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals part ways with pitching coach Dave Eiland, other coaching staff
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd & Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals’ Ned Yost braces for ‘step back’ as team tries to rebuild
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Dayton Moore addresses speculation around Braves GM opening
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Salvador Perez given special role for Chiefs’ game on Monday night
October 2, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Heart of a Champion: Remembering the 1942 Kansas City Monarchs
October 2, 2017By Kevin Holmes/KSHB.com
Likely dissolution of championship core has Royals looking at roster reconstruction
October 2, 2017AP (via Fox Sports KC)
NATIONAL
John Coppolella's resignation just the start of the Atlanta Braves' problems
October 2, 2017By Jeff Passan/Yahoo Sports
MLB TRANSACTIONS
October 3, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals cut ties with Eiland, Wakamatsu
October 2, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The winds of change for the Royals started on Monday as the team announced it was cutting ties with pitching coach Dave Eiland and bench coach Don Wakamatsu.
The Royals are anticipating the departure of some of their pending free-agents -- Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jason Vargas, Melky Cabrera and Mike Minor -- and are beginning the transition to a new era, most likely with younger players.
Discussions on coaching changes began about a week ago when it became evident that this core group, which went to the World Series in 2014 and '15 and won the title in '15, would not make the playoffs in '17.
"We're transitioning to a new group of players," Royals manager Ned Yost said Monday. "[General manager Dayton Moore] and I have been talking a lot about the coaching staff that's going to move forward with a younger group and we need to make some transitions there."
Eiland has been the Royals' pitching coach since 2011. Wakamatsu has been on the coaching staff since 2013. Neither could be reached for comment.
"Those guys were phenomenal in our run and integral parts in our championship run," Yost said. "Dave was fantastic in getting our pitchers in a fundamental spot. Dave is a phenomenal mechanical-type of coach.
"Wak really helped me a lot. As a manager, having those guys, Wak, Dave and Pedro [Grifol], made me a better manager. You look back at your strengths. Running the game isn't my strength, but having Wak and Dave and Pedro made me smarter than I really am."
The Royals also likely will reassign popular first-base coach Rusty Kuntz to a different organizational role. Kuntz was replaced as first-base coach during the last month of the season because of cataract issues. Mitch Maier took over for Kuntz and likely will be his replacement in 2018.
But Kuntz, who has sought more of a roving instructor role in the past few seasons, will remain in some significant role for the Royals.
"We're still formulating a role for him," Moore told MLB.com. "As you know, he's an extremely valuable asset to this organization."
Moore and Yost both said they still are in the process of coming up with candidates to replace Eiland and Wakamatsu. They will look internally first.
"We need guys who are really positive and know the game inside and out and will help teach younger players," Yost said.
The Royals are still formulating their offseason strategy in terms of which pending free agents they can retain. But Moore and Yost both mentioned the likelihood that younger players such as shortstop Raul Mondesi, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and outfielders Jorge Soler and Jorge Bonifacio would be significant parts of the 2018 roster.
Moore and Yost aren't conceding that the 2018 Royals won't compete for the postseason. But they also know the challenges that lay ahead.
"I imagine it will be a little bit of a step-back," Yost said. "But I understand there will be ups and downs next year.
"I would love to have [the pending free agents] all back. These are special kids. That was my message to the young guys [Sunday]: 'Hey, look at these guys. They were where you are and look at them now.'"
Yost also hinted that there will be more of a youth movement on the pitching staff.
"There will be other kids you haven't seen that will come up and pitch for us," Yost said.
While there were reports that bullpen coach Doug Henry would not be back in 2018, that decision has not yet been made.
Moore said whoever the new pitching coach is will have input on his bullpen coach.
Milestone, slam, robbery lead '17 highlight reel
Royals make respectable run in final season for core group
October 2, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
After coming off two deep postseason runs to the World Series in 2014 and '15, an exhausting and injury-plagued 2016 season was almost to be expected.
But the Royals showed up in Spring Training in 2017 eager and ready to make one final run with their core group -- several of whom are about to be free agents -- toward another championship.
It wasn't meant to be. After a fantastic July that included a nine-game winning streak, the Royals faded in August and September and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
Here's what went right in 2017.
1. The Eric Hosmer breakout year
After a miserable start to the season -- he was hitting .227 on May 2 with two home runs and eight RBIs -- Hosmer decided to change his approach at the plate. Weary of getting jammed on inside pitches and hitting weak ground balls, Hosmer decided he would lay off those pitches, even take them for strikes. He focused not on changing his swing path, but on attacking pitches out and over the plate.
The results were dramatic. From May 3 through Sept. 25, Hosmer hit .339 with 29 doubles, 22 home runs and a .941 OPS. The Royals certainly will do all they can to re-sign the pending free agent, but either way he is headed for a big payday.
2. Mike Moustakas reached a milestone
For almost 22 years, Steve Balboni's Royals single-season home run record of 36 stood. Finally, Moustakas topped it with his 37th in Toronto on Sept. 20, a record he said he will cherish forever.
"Just to think how long that record stood is amazing," Moustakas said. "It's pretty cool to be the one to break it."
Like Hosmer, Moustakas is a pending free agent and will attract plenty of interest, including from the Royals.
3. Hosmer's day in Detroit
It was a crazy day in Motown on July 26 as the Royals pounded the Tigers, 16-2, and Hosmer had a day for the record books. Hosmer hit the first grand slam of his career, and in the process became the first Royal to have five hits in a game, including a grand slam.
"I think the last time I hit a grand slam was in high school," Hosmer said.
But there's more: Hosmer became one of just three players in MLB history to have five hits, five runs scored, six RBIs and a stolen base in the same game.
4. Alex Gordon's catch in Detroit
It was no doubt the catch of the year for the Royals. On Labor Day in Detroit, Royals Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon went high over the fence at Comerica Park, timed his leap perfectly, and robbed the Tigers' Mikie Mahtook of a home run.
"Trust me, when I take BP, I actually practice that a little bit when [heavy hitters] are hitting," Gordon said. "It's a short fence and you can grab it and get over it a little bit, so just something I do during BP."
5. What we learned going forward
The Royals' overall season was a disappointment, but they got breakthrough seasons from several players. Second baseman Whit Merrifield started the season in the Minors, but by the end of April had claimed the second-base job, possibly for years to come.
Rookie right-hander Jakob Junis became a mainstay in the rotation, a positive sign for 2018. Rookie Jorge Bonifacio, who also started the season in the Minors, showed he can be the right fielder of the future. And left-hander Mike Minor, who has a mutual option for 2018, showed he can perhaps be a closer with a strong September performance, including his first career save on Sept. 15, which snapped the Indians' 22-game winning streak.
Royals part ways with pitching coach Dave Eiland, other coaching staff
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd & Pete Grathoff/KC Star
On the first day of the offseason, the Royals shook up their coaching staff, parting ways with pitching coach Dave Eiland and bench coach Don Wakamatsu. The decisions come as the team prepares to embark on another rebuilding process following a disappointing 80-82 finish in 2017.
Eiland, one of the most respected pitching coaches in the game, just concluded his sixth season in Kansas City and oversaw a staff and bullpen that helped the franchise reach consecutive World Series. Wakamatsu joined the Royals staff after the 2013 season and helped formulate tactical decisions during games.
“We’re making some changes,” manager Ned Yost said Monday during a morning news conference. “We’re transitioning to a new group of players, and (general manager Dayton Moore) and I have been talking a lot about the coaching staff here that is going to move forward with a young group.”
The moves could have ripple effects on the rest of the staff. The next pitching coach will offer input on hiring the next bullpen coach, a position that former Royals pitcher Doug Henry has held since 2013. Henry will be a candidate to remain in the role, Moore told The Star. Yet the final decision will hinge on who emerges as the club’s new pitching coach. Henry is unlikely to be a candidate for the pitching coach job and has prepared to not return in 2018.
In addition, assistant hitting coach Brian Buchanan may find himself in a new role, while Moore said the club was still having discussions on a future role for first-base coach Rusty Kuntz, who has long coveted a roving instructional role in the organization.
For now, hitting coach Dale Sveum, third-base coach Mike Jirschele and catching coach Pedro Grifol are expected back next season. Sveum, however, has emerged as a possible replacement for Wakamatsu in the bench coach role, a job that could position him as a possible successor to Yost if he opts to retire after the 2018 or 2019 season.
Sveum previously served as the bench coach for Yost in Milwaukee before replacing him during the 2008 season. He also spent two seasons managing the Chicago Cubs in 2012 and 2013.
“Dale’s a candidate to do a lot of things in this organization,” Moore said.
Yost said the club was still discussing possible replacements for Eiland and Wakamatsu. But the next bench coach will be integral in organizing the club’s in-game tactical strategy.
“You sit back and you look at your own strengths,” Yost said. “And my greatest strength isn’t running the game. I’m OK at it. But I’m not great at it.”
Perhaps the most surprising move on Monday was the decision to let Eiland leave the organization. A former pitching coach with the New York Yankees from 2008 to 2010, Eiland joined the Royals after the 2011 season. He has won World Series rings with two organizations and built a reputation as a mechanical guru.
The Royals’ team ERA was 4.61 this season, which ranked 10th in the league. The staff was at times handcuffed by injuries and a bullpen that missed the presence of Wade Davis. As the season wound down, Eiland expected to return to Kansas City for at least one more year. That changed during the season’s final weeks as Yost and Moore discussed the future of the staff. The Royals will now search for a new voice to guide a pitching staff that will be fronted by Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy, who is coming off a frustrating year.
“Dave is a great mechanical pitching coach,” Yost said. “He formulates a great plan. He was an integral part of our championship.”
Wakamatsu, meanwhile, leaves the organization after being part of two World Series runs. Before arriving in Kansas City, he served as the Seattle Mariners’ manager in 2009-10, was a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011-12 and worked as a special assignment scout for the Yankees in 2013.
After the 2014 season, Wakamatsu was a finalist for the Rays managerial opening. Tampa Bay hired Kevin Cash instead.
“I want to personally thank both Don and Dave for the contributions they made to our success here, culminating with the World Series title in 2015,” Moore said.
As the Royals search for replacements, Yost said the team will put a premium on those capable of guiding a collection of young players who must be developed at the major-league level. The group includes shortstop Raul Mondesi, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and outfielder Jorge Soler and Jorge Bonifacio. All could play important roles for the club in 2018.
“It’ll strictly be people that enjoy and people that can handle what we’re about to do,” Yost said. “It’s going to be built around that type of stuff.”
Royals’ Ned Yost braces for ‘step back’ as team tries to rebuild
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd/KC Star
The Royals are moving toward an uncertain future. Manager Ned Yost is trying to embrace the coming change.
Speaking Monday on the first floor of Kauffman Stadium, Yost reflected on the emotional end to the 2017 season, the possible departure of a championship core, and a reality that has come into focus over the last month. The Royals, in some form or fashion, are headed for another rebuilding phase.
“This is going to be different,” Yost said. “It’s a whole different approach again.”
As the offseason begins, the club is bracing for the possible defections of first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar. All will be free agents following the World Series. Royals general manager Dayton Moore has said the team will be aggressive in trying to retain its homegrown talent. But Yost spent much of Monday hinting at the coming youth movement, a process that could include more playing time and bigger roles for shortstop Raul Mondesi, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and outfielders Jorge Bonifacio and Jorge Soler.
Two years after winning the World Series, the Royals could be headed for a significant step back on the field in 2018. Yost did not hide from this fact.
“I imagine it will probably be a little bit of a step back,” Yost said. “But again, it’s like everybody that goes to spring training. They all feel like they got a chance to win. They all do. But going through it, as many times as we’ve gone through it, I understand there’s going to be ups and downs next year.”
The process will be a familiar one. Yost spoke of developing players at the major-league level and teaching young talent how to win. He compared the process to 2011 and 2012, when the franchise suffered through two losing seasons with a core of young players before taking a step forward in 2013.
This time, the cupboard is not totally bare. The Royals will enter next season with All-Star catcher Salvador Perez behind the plate and Danny Duffy headlining a rotation that could feature Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel, Nathan Karns and Jakob Junis. But the vibe inside the clubhouse will be different. The club will say goodbye to a number of pending free agents. The process of development will return to the forefront.
“This has been very emotional.” Yost said. “Knowing that we wanted to give these players one last chance to achieve something special. It didn’t work out. That was hard for all of us. We all wanted to give them that chance.”
Royals’ Dayton Moore addresses speculation around Braves GM opening
October 2, 2017Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals general manager Dayton Moore found himself thrust into the rumor mill Monday as a general manager vacancy appeared in Atlanta following the resignation of Braves GM John Coppolella.
Moore, who spent more than a decade with the Braves as a scout and executive before taking over as Royals general manager in 2006, was bandied about as a possible top candidate for the opening. When reached on Monday afternoon, Moore declined to comment on the speculation or the opening.
“I would never comment on an opening with another organization,” Moore said. “I find it lacks integrity. Baseball is a game of constant turnover. If I commented on every opening out there, I would never do my own job.”