The Kansas City Royals have reportedly agreed to terms of a contract that will make Mike Matheny the new manager. Matheny will take over as manager of the rebuilding Royals with hopes to turn things around and get them back to contention in the American League (AL) Central. Less than twenty-four hours after the conclusion of the 2019 World Series, the shift of the focus in baseball immediately has turned to seasonal awards, managerial vacancies, and free agency.
Per league source, the #Royals have hired Mike Matheny as their next manager. A press conference to introduce Matheny could happen today.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) October 31, 2019
The simple fact of the matter is that the Royals were bad last season, not as bad as the Detroit Tigers, but still bad. Matheny will take over a Royals team that finished 59-103 in fourth place in the AL Central division. However, they had the second overall pick in the 2019 MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft where they selected infielder Bobby Witt Jr. out of high school. Matheny can only hope that he will be around to maybe see this kid develop and have a shot at the big leagues.
For the time being, Matheny will focus on developing his players, getting them to a point where they can be a competitive team again. With Whit Merrifield really starting to come into his own as a strong infielder for the Royals, the hope will be that Matheny can work with the younger players like Adalberto Mondesi and turn things around. Matheny has his work cut out for him but after the departure of Ned Yost, he was immediately tied to the position so he should be well prepared to take over this rebuilding team. Matheny is no stranger to managing after he was the St. Louis Cardinals manager for seven years, stepping away after the 2018 season.
