The Royals are having a bad year. At 14-23 now it seems like they'll have a mountain to climb if they have any shot at making the postseason. They fired their hitting coach, and more are likely to follow if this year doesn't turn around. One bright spot though is the amount of young talent that is both currently on the roster and in the minors. Guys like Witt Jr., Melendez, Rivera, Isbel, Pratto, and others have shown a lot of promise in taking the Royals to that next level. The issue lies in coaching, and really just management in general.
John Sherman will have some decisions to make no matter what by the end of this season, however I think after this year, unless the Royals can muster a playoff series win with the squad they have right now, the Royals need to find more of a role for the players in the minors. Yes, this means possibly letting go of Whit Merrifield, Salvador Perez, and Andrew Benintendi and making room for new faces that could make an impact. This also means making decisions that the manager you just extended may not like. Matheny I believe deserves an opinion, as again he was just extended and I don't think he's the key aspect as to what is wrong with the Royals, but I think Sherman has to put his foot down and take control of the operation. The Royals can be a good baseball team and can get back in the good graces of the fans (invaluably important if they plan to move downtown I might add) they really just need a shakeup in upper management, and for someone to finally realize that the Royals have young talent that is yet untapped. Yes development will take time, but it has been proven so far that certain guys in the lineup just do not cut it. I'd rather have a young guy take the reigns and learn the big leagues in a trial by fire manner, than to continue down the cycle of ineptitude with guys that have proven they don't belong in the big leagues. In the end, it's a tough call to make, but we are entering desperation time. Change needs to happen, and possible experimentation may need to be implemented for the Royals to be at their full potential. Give these young guys a shot, Witt Jr. and Melendez have so far proven they belong where they are. Why not a few more?
Burn Notice: 8/10 Getting real toasty in the Royals' front office right about now...
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