The Royals have brought in George Brett as the new hitting coach for the team along with Pedro Grifol. They replace Jack Maloof and Andre David, who were reassigned to minor league duties within the organization.
Brett brings instant credibility given that he is in the Hall of Fame. He knew when to light a fire under people and when to lighten the mood. When Brett tells the players something, they will be much more likely to listen because he carries with him credibility of having played successfully for almost 20 years for one team.
The move will likely serve as a wake-up call for the players. They now know that they are being evaluated and that it is now time for them to become more focused and perform on the field. Anytime there is a mid-season shakeup of this nature, that is the goal.
There is the possibility that the Royals are grooming Brett to succeed Ned Yost. Yost himself came on as a "consultant" before he was hired as the full time manager. This is the last year of Yost's contract. Let Brett get to know the team for a year since they are not going anywhere and then turn the reigns over to him is a possible plan if the team continues to flounder.
The fact of the matter is that some sort of change had to be made. Yost himself set the standard for the season when he said on the record that his hitters were capable of hitting for more power. However, the team actually is hitting for less power this year and hitting fewer home runs. The firing of Maloof and David was a foregone conclusion after the former publicly predicted that the team would finish last in home runs this year in the league. That was a public admission that he was out of answers.
We have to give credit where it is due. Owner David Glass has opened his purse strings to resign Butler and Gordon this year and has put a lot more into the development of his minor league players after years of having a reputation of being a tight-fisted owner. General Manager Dayton Moore has his weaknesses as well -- none of his top draft picks has met the team's expectations. But the fact of the matter is that this season cannot be pinned on him either. Moore went out and got quality starting pitching this year. He stepped in and acted when things were not working out as expected; the replacement of the hitting coaches was a good move. Something had to be done.
The hope is that not only will George Brett help out with the hitting, he will help out with the clubhouse chemistry as well. He was the ultimate clubhouse chemistry person as well as a great player, creating an environment where everyone could succeed. But while the owner is the one who sets the budget, the general manager gets the players, and the coaches work with the players on the mechanics of the game, it is the manager's responsibility to do four things -- write the lineup cards, change pitchers, make substitutions, and maintain a positive environment for the players to perform in. The ultimate responsibility for that still lies with Yost. We don't want him to scream and yell like he seemed to imply the other night; we want him to bring discipline. If someone celebrates when it is not appropriate or there are personality conflicts within the clubhouse, then the manager is responsible for getting it stopped. There is a big difference.
Showing posts with label Ned Yost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ned Yost. Show all posts
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Ned Yost is Toast
For the first time since the 1980's, people were actually feeling better about the Royals than they were the Chiefs. The Royals had totally revamped their pitching staff and were supposed to finally start to make strides towards respectability and have a .500 season this year. But in recent weeks, after a promising start, it has all broken down. There have been recent seasons in which the Royals have teased fans with a fast start, only to go down the toilet once other teams adjusted. But this was supposed to be different -- the pitching was finally there, the hitting was supposed to come around, and the team was supposed to be able to hit for more power.
But now, it has all turned into a fundamental breakdown of discipline. For all his shortcomings, this one cannot be blamed on GM Dayton Moore. He did his part this year, bringing in the pitching needed to turn the Royals into a contender. The responsibility lies with the manager, Ned Yost. The hitting has been a liability all year. The pages of Lee Judge's "Judging the Royals" have become a broken record -- not enough hitting, fundamental lack of plate discipline, and the inability to get the big hit when it matters. But the breakdown of team discipline cumulated last night in pitcher Luis Mendoza's celebration after he got a hit to the wall against the Cardinals. What could have turned into extra bases and a big inning instead turned into a single and one run.
Excuse me, but what does a team that has lost seven straight and 19 out of their last 23 have to celebrate about? This is similar to the times the Chiefs were showboating and celebrating their way to a 2-14 season last year, one of the worst in franchise history. If it had been a World Series win, or a Division Title, or even a winning season, that would have been something appropriate to celebrate about. It would even be appropriate to celebrate a walkoff win. Yet we see Mendoza showboating and celebrating over a single hit.
It's like the immortal Len Dawson says -- let the scoreboard do the talking for you. The long-time color commentator for the Chiefs knows a thing or two about winning; he was part of their winning Super Bowl team. What Mendoza did is not appropriate in Little League or T Ball, let alone the big leagues. Yet it is a perfect symbol of the kind of breakdown in team discipline that Ned Yost has allowed to fester this year.
It's not always a matter of wins or losses; it's how you win or lose that matters. Two nights ago, Yost got testy and defensive when asked questions about his team's performance. He sounds for all the world like a man who is out of answers for this team. He can say all he wants that he doesn't listen to speculation about his future in Kansas City. But the fact of the matter is that management listens to fan discontent much more than they would care to admit. That is why managers and coaches frequently do not last very long in professional sports. That is why the Yost Watch is officially in high gear.
Last night, he said:
“Once we start to swing the bat,” he said, “that’s where you’ll start to see everybody start to relax. Now, you start to put a win streak together. It all comes back to where it should be.”
But the problem is bigger than a matter of a team being in a slump. The team is showing a lack of plate discipline, swinging at pitches they should be taking and taking pitches they should be swinging at. The hitting is so bad that the Royals were only able to win one game out of three at tailender Houston, one of the few teams having a worse year than the Royals.
And the lack of discipline is not limited to the players. The coaches are sending different messages to the public. On the one hand, Ned Yost said that his team was capable of hitting for more power when he fired Kevin Seitzer as hitting coach last year. Now, his own hitting coach, Jack Maloof, predicted that the team would finish last in home runs this year.
The heat on Yost has been building over the last year, given that he has fired three of his coaches. This is a clear sign that management has been leaning on him to make changes. But now that Yost has his own people in charge, he is running short of options. This year, he set his own standards for the team by saying that his players were capable of hitting for more power. However, his coaches and his players have not lived up to his own standards that he set. It's not just a matter of coming out of a slump. It is a matter of the manager bringing discipline to an organization that has too long lacked it.
But now, it has all turned into a fundamental breakdown of discipline. For all his shortcomings, this one cannot be blamed on GM Dayton Moore. He did his part this year, bringing in the pitching needed to turn the Royals into a contender. The responsibility lies with the manager, Ned Yost. The hitting has been a liability all year. The pages of Lee Judge's "Judging the Royals" have become a broken record -- not enough hitting, fundamental lack of plate discipline, and the inability to get the big hit when it matters. But the breakdown of team discipline cumulated last night in pitcher Luis Mendoza's celebration after he got a hit to the wall against the Cardinals. What could have turned into extra bases and a big inning instead turned into a single and one run.
Excuse me, but what does a team that has lost seven straight and 19 out of their last 23 have to celebrate about? This is similar to the times the Chiefs were showboating and celebrating their way to a 2-14 season last year, one of the worst in franchise history. If it had been a World Series win, or a Division Title, or even a winning season, that would have been something appropriate to celebrate about. It would even be appropriate to celebrate a walkoff win. Yet we see Mendoza showboating and celebrating over a single hit.
It's like the immortal Len Dawson says -- let the scoreboard do the talking for you. The long-time color commentator for the Chiefs knows a thing or two about winning; he was part of their winning Super Bowl team. What Mendoza did is not appropriate in Little League or T Ball, let alone the big leagues. Yet it is a perfect symbol of the kind of breakdown in team discipline that Ned Yost has allowed to fester this year.
It's not always a matter of wins or losses; it's how you win or lose that matters. Two nights ago, Yost got testy and defensive when asked questions about his team's performance. He sounds for all the world like a man who is out of answers for this team. He can say all he wants that he doesn't listen to speculation about his future in Kansas City. But the fact of the matter is that management listens to fan discontent much more than they would care to admit. That is why managers and coaches frequently do not last very long in professional sports. That is why the Yost Watch is officially in high gear.
Last night, he said:
“Once we start to swing the bat,” he said, “that’s where you’ll start to see everybody start to relax. Now, you start to put a win streak together. It all comes back to where it should be.”
But the problem is bigger than a matter of a team being in a slump. The team is showing a lack of plate discipline, swinging at pitches they should be taking and taking pitches they should be swinging at. The hitting is so bad that the Royals were only able to win one game out of three at tailender Houston, one of the few teams having a worse year than the Royals.
And the lack of discipline is not limited to the players. The coaches are sending different messages to the public. On the one hand, Ned Yost said that his team was capable of hitting for more power when he fired Kevin Seitzer as hitting coach last year. Now, his own hitting coach, Jack Maloof, predicted that the team would finish last in home runs this year.
The heat on Yost has been building over the last year, given that he has fired three of his coaches. This is a clear sign that management has been leaning on him to make changes. But now that Yost has his own people in charge, he is running short of options. This year, he set his own standards for the team by saying that his players were capable of hitting for more power. However, his coaches and his players have not lived up to his own standards that he set. It's not just a matter of coming out of a slump. It is a matter of the manager bringing discipline to an organization that has too long lacked it.
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