Royals Rumblings - News for October 5, 2017

BP KC’s David Lesky speculates about what the rash of firings on the Royals coaching staff might mean:

After learning of Eiland’s dismissal, we learned about the other three. The most surprising of those was Don Wakamatsu, who had been on the bench with Ned Yost since 2014 and looked like he was going to eventually get another shot as a manager, and maybe as a manager of the Royals. I wouldn’t go to Vegas and bet on that now.

So I quickly developed a bit of a theory. Yost was widely speculated to be retiring at the end of 2017 as the core made their exits to free agency. Then, with a week or so to go in the season, he told anyone who would listen that he was going to come back in 2018 and anyone who thought otherwise is and was crazy. That surprised me a little bit, both that he was coming back and how adamant he was about it. But with the firing of Wakamatsu, I think there’s something there. I think Yost was asked to come back for one year to mentor his replacement, who would be the bench coach.

I don’t know if this is true. We probably won’t ever really know, but it sure makes a lot of sense. The three likeliest candidates in my mind have all never managed or even coached at the big league level. They are, in no particular order, Raul Ibanez, Jason Kendall and Vance Wilson. There are probably 150 other managerial candidates out there who have a shot, so don’t take those three names as the only possibilities, but they are where my mind turned immediately. It would not surprise me in the least if Dayton Moore and the front office believed any of them or any other first time manager couldn’t benefit from a year of watching Yost manage the clubhouse.

Love the K? Maybe don’t fall too much in love.

Kings of Kauffman’s Nicholas Sullivan lists the best moments of the Royals’ season (warning: slideshow).

The Cubs claimed old friend Luke Farrell off waivers from the Reds.

Eternal tinkerer Zack Greinke looks to have changed how he throws his slider this year.

The Terrorizer/Abuser of Women looks like he may be dominant again.

Future Royal Shohei Otani has lived up to the massive hype.

Maybe Derek Jeter didn’t really mean to fire Jack McKeon, Andre Dawson, Tony Pérez, and Jeff Conine?

Old friend(?) Joba Chamberlain has no plans for a comeback.

Lost in a 16-3 blowout was the oddity of a player illegally reinserted into the lineup recording a hit for Boston.

Matt Ellis delves into existential angst as pertaining to Pablo Sandoval costing the Giants the first overall pick with his walk-off dong on the final day of the season.

Eric Longenhagen has notes from the instructional leagues.

A Bob’s Burgers movie is in the works for 2020.

Steven Avery’s motion for a new trial was denied.

Apparently scientists finally figured out what it is that dragonflies eat.

ST:D will be pushing one more episode to the front half of its first season.

Wait, how did Hobbit camps help rebirth Italian fascism?

Chance the Rapper live-streamed his concert at the Hollywood Bowl last night for disaster relief in the Caribbean. Donate here.

In the spirit of that last link, here is Chance.