FanPost

Ned Yost is not the problem.

David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Guys, I understand this season is frustrating. I understand that last season was frustrating. There's one other thing that needs to be understood as well: this is necessary. I will repeat, this is necessary for The Process™. Blame Dayton, blame Canada, shake your fist at an apathetic god of your choosing... but this. was. inevitable.

KC is a small market; we are not going to shuffle through premium FAs to keep a window open like Boston. We haven't drafted nearly well enough to trade for premium players like LA, or just play drafted blue-chippers like Chicago or Minnesota. So, to constantly hear the old drum banging for Ned's head is getting more than a bit exasperating.

Ned Yost isn't signing these fringe FAs. Ned Yost isn't holding Starling & co. back in Omaha. Ned Yost isn't able to hide bad players on the bench or in the bullpen and play an A-team in any game. Ned Yost isn't the Dick Cheney to Dayton's Dubya, whispering commands inexplicably into his boss' ear. Ned Yost fields what team he can, works with players in-game, yanks and replaces pitchers, and commands the clubhouse - and I think he's doing a good job.

Take today's (Sunday's) game. I hear the old fire Ned call multiple times, perhaps most notably because he let Diekman face a RHB with the game on the line. Thing is, RHBs are batting .202 off of Diekman this year and he has a nearly 3.5/1 K/BB ratio on them. Name a better option. McCarthy and his .875 vsOPS? How about walking question mark Peralta? You're asking him to shuffle deck chairs on the Titanic, at best.

Once again I'll mention, Yost is a players' manager. He gives guys enough rope to hang themselves with because he wants to believe in them (see: leaving a pitcher in x batters too long). That's his main fault, and his main criticism during '13-'15 (Guthrie is STILL PITCHING). He wants players to succeed. That's it. Problem is, this is not a good team. Duda is not his fault, Gore getting picked off every week or so is not his fault, Barlow turning back into a pumpkin is not his fault. Eldred is not his fault.

What I'm saying is that he has a specific set of skills. He manages, and sometimes, "manage" is synonymous with "I managed to not burn the house down when I fell asleep cooking a pizza". Notice how the clubhouse isn't a mopey, toxic mess like it was under Pena. Notice how he isn't destroying players like Hillman. Notice how he isn't a walking shrug like Bell. He's doing admirably in what he needs to do during a tank-job.

Tab over and look up who is on the hot seat this year in baseball. I bet you saw Joe Maddon and Gabe Kapler. Both manage teams over .500, and Maddon is essentially the Warren Buffett of baseball managers. How about Mickey Callaway, if you want a manager on a bad team who is losing his circus clubhouse. Milquetoast Yost? I'll happily have him plug along during our tank, tyvm. There are reasons why Ned fits KC outside of our W-L record. Look at long-time managers Mike Scioscia in LA or Bruce Bochy in SF. Are any talking heads calling for their firing? I wonder why.

Ned has faults, faults that I criticize as much as the next fan. Even now when, deep down, I know that virtually none of this is really his fault; losing with a bad team is a necessary step towards the next window. That's kind of what he's here to do, too. He's used to being our punching bag, old Frank is. He knows that it's part of his job. I just hope that most of the fans here know that, too.

Because he's the Manager Kansas City deserves, but not the one it thinks it needs right now. So we'll flame him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a players' guy, a clubhouse protector. A Blue Knight.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Royals Review community. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors and writers of this site.