Royals managerial search taking shape, including interviews with Vance Wilson, Matt Quatraro, per report
Candidates thus far include a mix of internal and external candidates
The Kansas City Royals are working to find a replacement for Mike Matheny as manager, and a working list of candidates is beginning to emerge. According to MLB.com's Anne Rogers, internal candidates Pedro Grifol, Vance Wilson, and Scott Thorman have had initial interviews for the job. Rogers also reports that external candidates who have interviewed include Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, a popular name in interviews who has never gotten the job. Jon Morosi, meanwhile, adds Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough to the mix, while Jon Heyman does the same for Boston Red Sox bench coach Will Venable.
As for those inside the organization already, Grifol most recently served as Kansas City's bench coach and is also a reported candidate for the Miami Marlins' managerial vacancy. Grifol has in the past interviewed for the Giants' and Tigers' openings. Wilson, a former major league pitcher, has been the team's third base coach and has managerial experience in the Royals' minor-league system. Thorman managed Triple-A Omaha this season and is said to have strong relationships with many of the Royals' core young players.
Matheny was dismissed just after the conclusion of the regular season after guiding the Royals to a 165-219 record in three years at the helm. Under Matheny in 2022, the Royals went 65-97 and finished in last place in the generally lackluster American League Central. Those organizational changes also included the dismissal of long-time lead executive Dayton Moore and the elevation of J.J. Picollo to general manager.
Soon after Matheny's dismissal, Picollo spoke about the qualities he'll prioritize in the managerial search:
Picollo says a manager's most important skill must be communication. "Knowing the heartbeat of the player. ... Communication and openness where players feel comfortable. ... That's probably the greatest influence on how well a manager will do."#Royals pic.twitter.com/XuVu86CYPd
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) October 6, 2022
In addition to the Royals, the White Sox are also in need of a new manager, and some overlapping of candidates is inevitable. The Rangers recently removed themselves from the board by hiring former Padres and Giants manager Bruce Bochy, as did the Marlins by hiring Skip Schumaker.
You can keep track of all the changes using CBS Sports' managerial tracker.
