Come on down! A look at some potential candidates for the next manager of the Royals
Get to know some of the names you'll be hearing quite a lot over the next month or so.
The list will be lengthy, the timeframe will be long. The Royals search for their next manager will be quite the process. As it should be. General manager J.J. Picollo will draw from a long list of candidates and the I expect the interviews to last at least through the end of the postseason and probably through the middle of November.
As the search commences, I thought I would pull together a list of those who are, and who should be, on the Royals’ radar. This isn’t a comprehensive list as I imagine they will be considering in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 candidates. Not everyone will get interviews, but as Picollo said, that portion of the process can help the team identify specifics of what they should be looking for.
Here are 10 names who have already come up through the process. Some are already in the organization. Others are just waiting for their opportunity. And there are a couple who aren’t really candidates, but just names I’ve heard bandied about but who shouldn’t be considered at all.
The in-house candidates
Pedro Grifol
Vance Wilson
In his press conference last week, Picollo noted that Pedro Grifol and Vance Wilson were the only in-house candidates the Royals would be interviewing.
Grifol’s name has circulated several times for managerial openings in the last several seasons. He was a candidate with the Tigers and the Orioles before the 2018 season. He met with the Giants, having two interviews, and the Royals after 2019 for their openings. Of course, the Royals’ job was a fait accompli for the now-departed Matheny. Grifol interviewed with Detroit again last winter before that job went to A.J. Hinch.
Grifol’s name has already been mentioned in relation to the current vacant managerial positions in Miami and Chicago. He’s annually been one of the regulars mentioned when openings pop up. If the Royals want him to remain in the organization, I would imagine they would need to hand him the reins of the big league club as I can’t see him hanging around if he gets passed over again by the Royals. He clearly has the relationships and the communication skills that Picollo is looking for in a skipper, but will the Royals go with someone without big league experience?
Wilson has been in the Royals organization for 12 years, managing minor league affiliates from 2011 to 2017. He joined the major league team as a bullpen coach before moving to third base for Matheny. Of course, you’re probably not a fan of Wilson’s work in the third base coaches box. The Royals made 22 outs at home in 2022, the third most in the majors. That’s the same number they had in 2021 when they led the league in that category.
Just because a man can’t get his windmilling action under control doesn’t mean he can’t be a decent manager. Still, Wilson doesn’t have the kind of managerial buzz a number of other candidates on this list carry. He was a candidate for the Tigers opening a couple of years ago, but that’s the only vacancy I could find him linked to. As such, I would consider him a dark horse.
This means that Alec Zumwalt and Drew Saylor will remain in their current positions as hitting instructors in the organization. Both would be good candidates, though. If the Royals decide to expand their internal search, I think both would be intriguing options.
The other known candidate
Clayton McCullough
Can we say McCullough is the first official name from outside the organization to be linked to the Royals job? I think we can.
Although sometimes I feel like some of these national guys just throw a name out there, saying something nebulous like “he’s a candidate,” based on hearing something from an executive of an executive who heard something from a UPS driver, just to get the clicks. But I digress.
I suppose if you’re going to start throwing darts at the managerial board, McCullough is a sharp one from the jump.
He’s currently the Dodgers’ first base coach and was previously LA’s minor league field coordinator. He managed in the Blue Jays system for seven seasons from 2007 to 2013. As the tweet from Morosi pointed out, his father, Howard McCullough is a part-time amateur scout for the Royals, based in Greenville, North Carolina. The elder McCullough has been a scout for 36 years.
McCullough interviewed with the Mets for their managerial opening before they went with Buck Showalter. He was supposedly considered for their bench coach role after that.
Managerial timber
Every offseason, there are a handful of guys who have a tremendous amount of buzz about their names. These are the guys who have paid their dues and are just looking for that opportunity to claim one of the 30 managerial jobs.
Matt Quatraro
Quatraro is one of those guys…A managerial candidate whose name pops up with regularity despite never having managed a big league club. The underlying word seems to be something along the lines of, “it’s time for this guy to get a managerial job.” He’s currently the bench coach for Kevin Cash in Tampa and has been in the Rays organization for 23 years, managing in their minor league system from 2006-2009. You know, Tampa seems to be a model organization for where the Royals want to eventually land. (Along with just about every other small-market club.)
Quatraro has interviewed for jobs in Detroit and San Francisco over the last couple of seasons. Last winter, he was interviewed for the opening in Oakland and was one of three finalists for the Mets job last winter. SNY, the Mets broadcast partner, ran a story last December about Quatraro and how he is ready for a major league managerial job. One executive interviewed compared him to Bob Melvin.
“I know Matt fairly well and I see a lot of similarities with Bob,” the exec said. “They’re both very bright, studious, and they’re both low-key personality-wise but very good communicating and developing relationships with players. The big unknown is always how a guy will handle the stress that comes with managing, especially the first time around.”
Anthony Recker knew Quatraro from their time in Cleveland where Quatraro was an assistant hitting coach on Terry Francona’s staff from 2014 to 2017.
“He understood how to interact with players, getting to know them on a personal level before suggesting any changes in what they were doing. I thought that was very important. He was a student of who you are first, and not just someone telling you what to do. You learn to trust a guy like that.
“He’s supremely intelligent and he was very observant, very organized. And when he spoke everything was always well thought out. To me, those kind of people tend to be the best leaders.”
Do you see the theme in the comments from both player and executive? Quatraro is a great communicator. That’s something Picollo mentioned a number of times in his press conference last week that was an important quality for the Royals’ next manager to possess. And owner John Sherman is certainly familiar with Quatraro as he was minority owner of the Cleveland franchise from 2016 until he bought the Royals after the end of the 2019 season.
Quatraro is available for interviews since the Rays were eliminated from the postseason over the weekend.
He’s probably my favorite of the bunch and one to definitely keep an eye on.
Joe Espada
It seems as though Espada is everyone’s managerial candidate, mentioned for all the current openings.
The list of jobs Espada has been linked to over the recent winters is lengthy. He was a finalist for last year’s Mets opening and interviewed for the A’s job. He’s also been linked to spots with the Blue Jays, Angels, Cubs, Orioles, Twins and Rangers. He was reportedly a finalist for the Giants job two seasons ago.
Espada has been the Astros bench coach since the 2018 season. He also serves as Houston’s infield coordinator. Prior to that, he was with the Yankees, working as a scout and special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman and then was their third base coach. He has also served as a hitting coach in the Marlins organization as well as third base coach for the major league squad. He’s probably the most well-rounded of any candidate in play.
Oh! He played in the Royals organization for a season, spending 2002 in Omaha where he hit .224/.289/.278 in 74 games.
Espada just hasn’t been able to catch a managerial break. Word was, he was the favored candidate of Puerto Rico GM Eduardo Pérez to manage the national team at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Pérez was overruled by the governing body, which opted for Yadier Molina. Pérez has since resigned his position with the Puerto Rican national team.
Given his popularity as a candidate and the fact that the Astros are set for another lengthy October run, it’s going to be difficult for teams to get some time with Espada for an interview, especially if all three teams with openings currently are angling for his services. There’s also the Dusty Baker factor where Espada would figure to be a favorite for the Astros managerial post, should Baker decide to leave. It’s something that could happen, especially if he gets that elusive World Series championship.
Eduardo Pérez
Pérez, who just finished broadcasting one of the Wild Card series on ESPN, and who also works for MLB Network Radio, has long been an intriguing candidate. Because he’s the most public-facing of all the candidates, we know he embraces analytics and data and is a strong communicator, so he checks a couple of boxes for Picollo as he embarks on his search.
As mentioned above, he also served as GM of the Puerto Rican national team. Pérez interviewed for the Astros and Mets vacancies after the 2019 season and at one point was considered the favorite in New York. He’s managed in the Puerto Rican Winter League and worked in the front office for Cleveland. He’s also served as hitting coach for the Miami Marlins and bench coach for the Houston Astros. His coaching and front office experience all came prior to 2014, so it’s been awhile since Pérez has worked in that facet of the game.
The ex-Royals
The Royals have had several players pass through their system through the years who have worked their way through the majors and minors and are routinely mentioned for openings. One guy was even hired once before.
Carlos Beltrán
There were three managerial casualties from the Astros sign stealing scandal: AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltrán. Hinch was fired from his position in Houston and he and Cora were both suspended for a year. Both are back in the dugout. Cora returned to the Red Sox and Hinch found employment in Detroit. Beltrán, who was named manager of the Mets in November of 2019 was dismissed from the position just two months later and hasn’t had another look at a managerial opening.
The difference? Hinch and Cora had major league experience and success. Beltrán was going to be a rookie manager when he was fired before ever taking charge for a game.
Beltrán has been largely off the radar since. He was floated as a possible coach for Buck Showalter’s staff with the Mets as well as in San Diego. He spent this season as a part-time analyst with the YES Network.
Since retiring as a player, Beltrán interviewed for the Yankees managerial position after the 2017 season, before accepting a position as special advisor in the team’s front office. He was a respected clubhouse leader as a player and it was assumed that he would eventually transition to either the front office or the dugout after his playing career. He was rumored to be in the mix for several managerial openings prior to 2020, but turned down opportunities to interview as he sought to return to New York. Circumstances have obviously changed, but would a team take a chance on Beltrán knowing that his ultimate goal is a return to New York?
Obviously, it would be a homecoming of sorts for Beltrán in Kansas City as it’s where he spent the first six years of his career, before a mid-season trade to Houston in 2006. Previously, the rumor was Beltrán was looking to only work in New York. With some rehabilitation to be done, he will probably need to go somewhere else to get a start if he’s still wanting to manage. Will a team like the Royals take a chance on him?
Dusty Wathan
Wathan is an interesting, and familiar name. Dusty is the son of longtime Royal John Wathan, who was player, manager and most recently, special assistant to player development before retiring at the end of this season. He spent 47 years with the Royals. Belated congrats to Duke on a helluva ride.
Dusty, meanwhile, has built himself quite a resume, managing across the Phillies minor league system for 10 seasons before joining the big league staff. He interviewed for jobs in Texas and Philadelphia, losing out to Gabe Kapler a couple of years ago.
Current Phillies skipper Rob Thomson has high praise for the younger Wathan.
“This guy’s a fantastic baseball mind, and I hope that, when jobs come up, managers’ jobs come up, he’s on the tip of every general manager’s tongue,” Thomson said. “I really do. Because he’s that type of baseball mind as far as I’m concerned.”
The Wathan name is…Royalty in Kansas City. (I make no apologies.) While there’s a sentimental value there, if Wathan were to come home it would be because he won the interview process and has built a solid resume. His name will be mentioned for other openings.
(The Phillies made 12 outs at home this year, if you’re wanting to compare third base coaches.)
The “Hell no, Joes”
A couple of guys who managed teams last year are quick to be mentioned. Ignore that chatter. I’m listing them here just so we will never have to discuss them again.
Joe Girardi
Joe Maddon
These guys are not—and should not be—serious candidates for the Royals. Joe Maddon is his own brand these days, driving his RV and tasting his wine while basking in that World Series title he brought Chicago in 2016. Besides, the Royals are looking for a manager who embraces analytics. While that was Maddon once upon a time, it seems like the days where he was on the cutting edge of bringing data into the dugout have passed.
If Matheny brought too much intensity to the Royals clubhouse, why on earth would they entertain the possibility of Joe Girardi?
Just because a name is familiar, it doesn’t mean he’s a good fit.
Personally, I like Quatraro. His pedigree and experience in the Tampa organization would make him a perfect fit for this team. He seems to be a fantastic communicator and you know he can incorporate the data where applicable.
So, who do you like? Sound off in the comments and make your argument.
My top 3 in no particular order (yet) is Pedro, Quatraro, and Wathan. I’d like to hear more about Wathan’s analytics use, (same with Pedro). If I was JJ, I’m looking for a person who can run a clubhouse like Ned, but incorporate the analytical side (with a plan for next year’s changes, and the willingness to grab someone like Brian Bannister for the pitching side.