Royals Rumblings - News for October 7, 2022

Anne Rogers covered J.J. Picollo’s press conference where he addressed why he dismissed manager Mike Matheny.

“I think it’s more on the evaluation and reflection of the last three years, combined with what we want to do moving forward,” Picollo said Thursday from Kauffman Stadium. “That’s why it’s hard. There are a lot of really good things that Mike does. I had a lot of players tell me how much they liked playing for him. That’s an important thing. But I think when we reflect on the last three years, the morale right now was low coming off a 97-loss season.

“That’s why, when you piece it all together, you’ve got to make a decision one way or the other. Obviously, we chose to go on a new venture.”

Lynn Worthy also writes about Picollo’s comments on the disappointing season.

“When you look at our record at the end of the season, something went wrong,” Picollo said.

“We should’ve won more games than we did. There are a lot of factors that go into that. It’s not just Mike himself. “There’s myself, our front office, we’re all accountable for that. But we expected to be a little bit further along than we were, and we can’t avoid that that’s the case.”

Matheny handled the firing with class.

“The day that Dayton was let go, I saw this coming,” Matheny told MLB.com on Thursday, a day after the Royals fired him following the 2022 season finale. “I think a lot of that had to do with the theme of change that was obvious. There was considerable heat all season long. All of that was leading in a direction that became pretty clear to me how this was all going to play out.

“Knowing that, I just wanted to be intentional down the stretch to keep doing what we were doing. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

He understands he just didn’t win enough.

“I believed in the organization and where everything was headed,” Matheny said. “I understood that we had a huge challenge in front of us, understood that there were some hurdles and this wasn’t necessarily going to be the easiest assignment, which made it even more exciting. I still believe so. This team is going to win. I believe that we’d have been right in the middle of it, but we ran out of time. Didn’t win enough games.”

Sam McDowell looks at what’s next for the Royals.

But as you consume lists of managerial candidates, keep in mind that the less glamorous hires may have larger impact on the club’s long-term future. The organization’s pitching process has been more evidently cracked than one manager, coach or pitcher can correct.

That, after all, is how the Royals arrived here, stuck in this rebuild, losing more games as of Wednesday’s season finale than all but six teams in franchise history.

But it’s also how they can best crawl their way out.

Vahe Gregorian writes that the Royals have gone from patience to urgency.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report writes how Zac Gallen could be a trade target for the Royals.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter looks at the metrics that will define MJ Melendez in 2023.

Inside the culture wars that led to Joe Maddon’s firing in Anaheim.

The Rangers make a change at pitching coach.

Reds manager David Bell will return next year but five of his coaches will not.

Rob Manfred says fans can make their own judgment about the home run record.

The Red Sox say a Rafael Devers trade is not on the radar.

Why this could be a great MLB post-season.

The free agents that could benefit from a great post-season.

Where have all the elite fantasy football runningbacks gone?

Steeve Ho You Fat is suddenly everyone’s favorite French basketball player.

Filming for the HBO show “The Last of Us” caused traffic delays in Kansas City.

The Onion submits an amicus brief to the Supreme Court to defend the right to parody.

Pitchfork wants your input on what was the best music of the 90s.

Your song of the day is Black Sheep with The Choice Is Yours.