Royals hire Matt Quatraro

Following the end of the 2022 season, the Kansas City ownership believed it was time to make a change at the management level. 
The Royals originally brought in Mike Matheny as former manager Ned Yost's special advisor in 2019. After Yost’s retirement, former Royals general manager Dayton Moore announced on October 31, 2019 Mike Matheny would be the next manager of the Royals. Matheny's time in Kansas City unfortunately didn't go the way Matheny or Moore had planned. During Matheny's time in Kansas City, he had a 165-219 win - loss record. Following the termination of Matheny, the Royals had been searching for his replacement. J.J. Picollo and the Royals announced on October 30 that the team had hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as the team's next manager. Quatraro and Royals’ majority owner John Sherman are both pretty familiar with each other. Sherman was a minority owner of the Cleveland Indians in 2016 while Quatraro was the Indians’ assistant hitting coach. Sherman's decision to give Picollo the nod to hire Quatraro in my opinion definitely isn't too surprising with Quatraro and Sherman being familiar with each other. The former bench coach had interviews with many ball clubs including the Pirates, Mets and the Marlins before taking the job in Kansas City. Quatraro signed a three year deal with an option for a fourth season with Kansas City according to Royals beat writer Anne Rogers. " We are extremely excited to have Matt leading our club and a core of talent," Picollo stated. “Matt has great experiences throughout his career that have prepared him for this. He thoroughly impressed us all during our interview process and is clearly respected across the industry. We are looking forward to working alongside Matt to bring winning baseball to our great fans."
Quatraro had spent the last five seasons on the Rays coaching staff under manager Kevin Cash at the big league level. The Rays compete in a powerhouse division with the Yankees and the Red Sox. The 48 year old is the18th full-time manager in the team's franchise history. Kansas City had interviewed many other candidates for the management position including Pedro Grifol, Vance Wilson, Scott Thorman, Dusty Wathan and Clayton McCullough. The decision to hire Quatraro as the next manager came down to many factors including the relationship between Sherman and Quatraro like I mentioned earlier in the article. Although Quatraro doesn't have any experience as a big league manager, he does however have management experience in the minor leagues with the Rays along with being their minor league hitting coordinator and third base coach. Quatraro, like many managers, played in the minors as a catcher with teams including time with the Rays organization. Although I am not a fan of Moore's dismissal, I am excited to see what the future holds for the Royals and Quatraro as their new manager; and as the ballclub and Picollo take on the challenge to bring the ballclub from the cellar to a team that looks to move to the top of the division and make a postseason push in the near future.

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Royals: Remembering a Murder Victim

Image
The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and
Read more

Tyler Duffey hit or miss signing for Royals

Image
The boys in blue are looking to boost the bullpen through the minor league free agent market, and Kansas City signed a familiar arm, Tyler Duffey, to a minor league pact. Duffey spent time in the Cubs’ organization last season; however, his last big league stint was with the Twins. The 32-year old was a member of the Twins pitching staff for seven seasons before signing with the Cubs last season. Duffey was designated for assignment by Minnesota on August 5 and released just two days later. The righthander, in my opinion, is a type of pitcher that could boost the pen next season. Last season, Duffey spent most of the season in Triple-A. While in Iowa, Duffey appeared in 36 games and threw a total of 45.1 innings. Duffey started two games for Iowa last season. The decision for the Twins to move on from Duffey was difficult for the organization and rightfully so. The organization had plenty to say about Duffey following his departure from the team. Twins manager Rocco Baldell
Read more

A well traveled arm could boost the Royals’ pen

Image
Kansas City will likely be signing many pitchers to minor league deals this offseason. Spring Training this season will be fun to watch as many arms will be competing for a spot in a wide open bullpen. Matt Wisler in my opinion would fit the Royals’ bullpen perfectly, and he would be cheap. Wisler and the Kansas City coaching staff are familiar with each other. The veteran righthander was a member of the Rays’ bullpen in 2021 along with 2022, and he had good numbers. Wisler's time with Tampa Bay came to a surprising end after being designated for assignment in September of 2022. The 31-year old had good numbers while a member of the Rays bullpen staff. He posted an ERA of 2.25 with 35 punchouts in 44 innings pitched. Following the end of Wisler's tenure with the Ray, he signed minor league deals with the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Last season Wisler didn't see time in the big leagues while as a member of the Detroit and Toronto Triple-A affiliates. Wisler's t
Read more