In a move that I didn't expect to happen until after the season, the team has made a massive move to change the direction of the organization with the firing of Dayton Moore.
Hiring Moore's replacement without a single outside interview is classic Royals.
Would JJ have gotten an interview at another franchise to be the GM of another team this year? No.
One could even argue that JJ might not even get an assistant GM job if he were let go. And I'm not even discounting that he's done amazing work that deserves to be commended.
Yes, JJ probably had a ton to do with the core of Bobby, MJ, Pratto, Vinnie, etc. And he probably improved their batting. But these are guys selected at the top of the draft (Vinnie excluded) and getting them coaching to get them out of slumps is essentially the bare minimum of what a Front Office has to do.
Losing is very hard. And sometimes we get into a funk where we say "we don't deserve better". This happens to people who let themselves go in previously bad relationships and are trying to get back onto the market. They go for what feels safe and familiar.
If JJ was not part of the organization and you simply looked at a the headline on paper : Royals hire Assistant GM of Franchise that has lost 7 consecutive years in a row and has yet to develop a starting pitcher in 10+ years. There would be understandable outrage.
We aren't building for the future with people winning now. We're building for recreating the past with people who haven't been winning lately.
Mark, JJ is in charge now. They are clearly not done hiring. It just wasn’t done all at once. You can believe what you want about JJ, but people much smarter than me are very excited about what he can bring without Dayton over him. I understand the trepidation, which is why I wrote about that, but this is the beginning of sweeping changes everywhere. To claim defeat for the Royals already is extremely shortsighted and premature, in my opinion.
When it comes to people. I loved Dayton. I love JJ. They are class acts in a city that prides itself on having strong characters with kindness leading an entire system. Dayton was seen as family to everyone on this team and that goes a long way. JJ has that same character and I appreciate having that.
But.... when it comes to pitching development we're the equivalent of the Miami Dolphins and quarterbacks post Marino in Baseball. This doesn't get fixed with one hire. This doesn't get fixed in one year. It begins with an owner and new President working endlessly to make sure the facilities, trainers, philosophy, communication method, and educational advancement are made every minute of every day. Data must be regenerative and process in a particular manner. It can't just be "hey we got a program that looks at this stuff if we need to use it". Petro said last night. JJ is more analytical than Dayton but JJ would be in the baseball romantic category more than the analytic category if you compared him to other GMs.
I just watched JJ being interviewed in 2019. The prospects he praised aren't even on the team anymore. I feel like Dayton is a Honda Civic. JJ is the Sport Edition. Other teams have a McLaren 765Ts and Tesla Model S in their garage. And we stuck with JJ because we are sentimental about the Civic being the little engine that could in 2015.
I want my kids to see winning teams and playoff runs in consecutive years. We're in the division that we have a shot in.
As an avid detractor of the moves Moore has made, what's notable to me is Sherman and others specifically calling out the ones JJ has made—which, in and of itself highlights which ones were Moore's. And, at the end of the day, Moore was the head of the table, so it will be interesting to see what types of moves didn't make it through the Dayton filter. I liken it to AZ being the hitting coach, but Matheny calling a sac bunt every time a guy is up—what AZ is teaching isn't getting shown. I'm all for giving JJ a shot and brining in an EVP from elsewhere to bring in fresh blood.
I thought that was very interesting too. We all suspected the deadline was JJ's work, but Sherman specifically mentioning it was telling to me. And bringing up Zumwalt is also fun because that's a move that Dayton tried to stop but JJ was so persistent that they ended up making it, so that works on a couple of levels.
Picollo has clearly become more analytically minded, likely at the urging of his boss, and given Sherman's comments regarding data and using it more, I can't imagine he would have simply made one move to fire Dayton and then promoted a clone. There was very clear messaging in that press conference and I believe in Sherman as a business owner to not cut corners during this process.
Definitely looking forward to more changes. I'll give credit to Dayton showing up at the press conference where his firing was the primary topic.
Wasn't often a fan of DM, but he has character. Most admirable thing he did was commit to paying minor leaguers in 2020 when everyone else said they wouldn't.
Yeah, he did not have to be there. That shows a lot to me about the person he is. He deserves a job in baseball, I’m just happy it’s no longer making baseball decisions for the Royals.
Agree with all comments and observations that Dayton Moore is a fine man and a high quality person. Like you, I have some reservations about his right-hand man taking over the ship, but I believe Sherman must have already had the conversation with him about big changes in direction or he wouldn't have been retained. David - really interested in your candidate list for pitching development leadership as that's clearly our biggest challenge. Overall, an encouraging day and development in what has been a year of consistent disappointments. Finally, I found it encouraging that Mr. Sherman is a) Clearly keeping track of wins and losses and not just moral victories and b) An active owner with his eye on every part of the operations. Very refreshing.
Pitching development is something that I have less knowledge about, so I'm reaching out to some people to try to get a better idea of who should be on that list. Might be a little bit on that as I compile. But there will be a list of pitching coaches at the big league level and managers, so stay tuned for that if and when they're need (and I'll be shocked if they aren't needed).
The change caught me surprised in the timing of it. I was thinking anything would wait until the offseason at this point. Do you think the timing had anything to do with DM’s comments on the Athletic article the end of last week. Where….it was going to wait until the end of the season….but once his comments came out it was we need to move now? DM’s comments all season just seemed odd….like he knew this was coming or being pushed out.
I honestly don't know. I will say that those comments would have been the straw that broke the camel's back and not the reason, but they very well could have. Sherman mentioned they started talking a couple of days ago. Does that mean Friday? Sunday night? Saturday morning? I don't know. Did the talks happen because of the comments? I don't know.
I've alluded to change for a long time now. I wish I could have flat out said "hey, Dayton is done" but I just couldn't get any confirmation on the rumors that I had heard from so many people, but this isn't a decision that came quickly for Sherman, much to the dismay of many. So I think, yeah, the comments throughout the season definitely contributed to it. Maybe there was tension. Maybe there wasn't and Sherman just didn't like the face of the franchise making the comments he made. I don't know. It's interesting. I do think the timing has a lot to do with the coaching staff changes that are coming and wanting to ensure that they were JJ's moves and JJ's only. I could be wrong there, but that makes sense to me.
yeah very interesting. I always thought he’d get a retiring or resigning send off so the fact that he was just fired makes me think it was covid deal, pitching development, and comments all coming together. And honestly, it had to be done to give everyone a fresh start. Now, Lynch, Bubic, all these young guys. Its now, we’ve replaced or are replacing the pitching development, coaching, etc. Maybe it was them and its now a fresh start for you guys. And if it doesn’t work with any of them from here on out, its now on them more going forward. Everyone gets a fresh start now. Reset that playoff window back a year or two, its just good business. Lol.
Absolutely, but I also kind of like the continuity with JJ because if, as one scout in that article said, the players are not the issue but the development is, I think this could turn quicker than it seems like it could right now. Much easier to figure it out if you have the right players than if you don't, so if that's the case, the right instruction could turn that worm for them and to have JJ around means the timeline doesn't have to get drastically altered.
Looking back at it now. Was the promoting JJ and DM last offseason the sign this was going to happen? I think Sherman kinda new at that point and wanted JJ in more decision making. DM takes the fall if it doesn’t work. DM had to see the writing on the wall at that point. All speculation. Very interesting though.
What I had heard was that Sherman wanted JJ to handle the day-to-day baseball side and Dayton to focus on bigger picture. I don't know if that's rumor or fact at this point honestly, but my thoughts are that when Dayton didn't stay out of the day-to-day, that's when things got precarious for him.
My guess, and that's all that it is, is that this move "resets the shot clock," pushing back the urgency for a playoff appearance by at least one year. That's especially so if they hire a new manager.
Ditto. Seems strange to make this move with a couple weeks left in the season, but I guess there's no better time than the present to get down to work!
David Lesky, Of those names you mentioned in the article, who would be your top one or two choices? Can we expect an article on potential managers, hitting and pitching coaches, etc. or will you wait until the axe actually falls? Once again, another great and informative article. Thanks!
Like I wrote, Arnold would be my top choice here. You won’t need an article on hitting coaches because that won’t change. It may not be Zumwalt but it’ll be someone in that group. And yes, I mentioned I already have a manager’s article written and pitching coaches are a work in progress now for me.
I'm obviously in favor of moving on from Moore, but I'm not sure I trust an owner who doesn't know how many hands a human has. From The Athletic: “On one hand, it’s about development,” Sherman said. “On one hand, it’s about data-driven decision-making. On one hand, it’s about being willing and trying to upgrade your team all the time.”
One quote from Sherman that I haven't seen discussed but that I think backs up your thought that "...maybe Sherman wanted to draw a line in the sand and make sure that the decisions made on said coaching staff were Picollo’s and had nothing to do with Moore..." is when he said that while evaluating Moore and others "...I felt like we needed to make more change than what was being talked about and that's was a big part of why we're making this change." That quote confirms in my mind that even after this disaster of a season, Dayton's ideas moving forward were still going to default to loyalty to his people, specifically Matheny and possibly Eldred. Am I off base?
No, I think that checks out. I think the organization wasn't going to be able to move forward with the changes Sherman wanted to see if Dayton was around in any capacity. So yeah, I buy that.
Throwing money at qualified front office personnel is the only way for small market teams to compete. When you're paying Hunter Dozier almost $5 million per year, it seems like a no brainer to throw money at people that can identify and develop talent. I'm guessing that most of the candidates identified can be pried loose if the dollars are sufficiently enticing, particularly if the owner indicates that he will also spend the money necessary to obtain and apply the latest technology.
Would Sherman have made the move now (instead of the off season) if Moore hadn't given that tone deaf, defensive dismissal of The Athletic article? Maybe he would have even allowed him to quietly resign in November instead of so publicly firing him?
David, if I may, I'd like to request prayers for the person I wish I could talk to about the Royals and this Dayton/JJ change right now: My dear friend, lifelong Royals fan and Chiefs studio broadcaster Art Hains.
Art is in critical condition in the ICU and on a ventilator. Doctors believe he has an immune system disorder. Art is an absolute titan of the radio industry and a man who's always helped young professionals, including yours truly.
Oh no, that’s awful to hear. I think I’ve only spoken to Art a couple of times, but you simply never hear a bad word about the man. You, him and everyone in his orbit are most definitely in my thoughts.
In my mind there are still two burning issues... I appreciate your efforts to address them but right now nobody can really say for sure...
1) JJ was Robin to Dayton's Batman for so long, how can we be sure he isn't Dayton 2.0?
2) I really hope you're right about massive change coming to the organization. I'll believe it when Matheny and Eldred are gone and when there's been a massive overhaul of the pitching coaches, development people, and evaluators throughout the organization.
I'm not sure JJ has been Robin even. Look, it may not work, but I don't think it's completely fair to say that JJ is just Dayton Jr. as I've seen from some. He may have been a few years ago, but he's done quite a bit to change.
Fun conspiracy theory I imagined: Dayton knew it was time for him to go and that it was JJ's time to lead. He refused a chance to resign or accept some ceremonial position within the organization.
But not out of an "I'll never resign" attitude. More out of a "Say you fired me. Because that's what needs to happen for the Kansas City Royals. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded" kind of thing. He could be the villain ... because he could take it.
Dayton was the hero Kansas City deserved, but not the one it needs right now.
Everyone: "Isn't that ... isn't that the ending of The Dark Knight?"
Hiring Moore's replacement without a single outside interview is classic Royals.
Would JJ have gotten an interview at another franchise to be the GM of another team this year? No.
One could even argue that JJ might not even get an assistant GM job if he were let go. And I'm not even discounting that he's done amazing work that deserves to be commended.
Yes, JJ probably had a ton to do with the core of Bobby, MJ, Pratto, Vinnie, etc. And he probably improved their batting. But these are guys selected at the top of the draft (Vinnie excluded) and getting them coaching to get them out of slumps is essentially the bare minimum of what a Front Office has to do.
Losing is very hard. And sometimes we get into a funk where we say "we don't deserve better". This happens to people who let themselves go in previously bad relationships and are trying to get back onto the market. They go for what feels safe and familiar.
If JJ was not part of the organization and you simply looked at a the headline on paper : Royals hire Assistant GM of Franchise that has lost 7 consecutive years in a row and has yet to develop a starting pitcher in 10+ years. There would be understandable outrage.
We aren't building for the future with people winning now. We're building for recreating the past with people who haven't been winning lately.
Mark, JJ is in charge now. They are clearly not done hiring. It just wasn’t done all at once. You can believe what you want about JJ, but people much smarter than me are very excited about what he can bring without Dayton over him. I understand the trepidation, which is why I wrote about that, but this is the beginning of sweeping changes everywhere. To claim defeat for the Royals already is extremely shortsighted and premature, in my opinion.
When it comes to people. I loved Dayton. I love JJ. They are class acts in a city that prides itself on having strong characters with kindness leading an entire system. Dayton was seen as family to everyone on this team and that goes a long way. JJ has that same character and I appreciate having that.
But.... when it comes to pitching development we're the equivalent of the Miami Dolphins and quarterbacks post Marino in Baseball. This doesn't get fixed with one hire. This doesn't get fixed in one year. It begins with an owner and new President working endlessly to make sure the facilities, trainers, philosophy, communication method, and educational advancement are made every minute of every day. Data must be regenerative and process in a particular manner. It can't just be "hey we got a program that looks at this stuff if we need to use it". Petro said last night. JJ is more analytical than Dayton but JJ would be in the baseball romantic category more than the analytic category if you compared him to other GMs.
I just watched JJ being interviewed in 2019. The prospects he praised aren't even on the team anymore. I feel like Dayton is a Honda Civic. JJ is the Sport Edition. Other teams have a McLaren 765Ts and Tesla Model S in their garage. And we stuck with JJ because we are sentimental about the Civic being the little engine that could in 2015.
I want my kids to see winning teams and playoff runs in consecutive years. We're in the division that we have a shot in.
As an avid detractor of the moves Moore has made, what's notable to me is Sherman and others specifically calling out the ones JJ has made—which, in and of itself highlights which ones were Moore's. And, at the end of the day, Moore was the head of the table, so it will be interesting to see what types of moves didn't make it through the Dayton filter. I liken it to AZ being the hitting coach, but Matheny calling a sac bunt every time a guy is up—what AZ is teaching isn't getting shown. I'm all for giving JJ a shot and brining in an EVP from elsewhere to bring in fresh blood.
I thought that was very interesting too. We all suspected the deadline was JJ's work, but Sherman specifically mentioning it was telling to me. And bringing up Zumwalt is also fun because that's a move that Dayton tried to stop but JJ was so persistent that they ended up making it, so that works on a couple of levels.
Picollo has clearly become more analytically minded, likely at the urging of his boss, and given Sherman's comments regarding data and using it more, I can't imagine he would have simply made one move to fire Dayton and then promoted a clone. There was very clear messaging in that press conference and I believe in Sherman as a business owner to not cut corners during this process.
Definitely looking forward to more changes. I'll give credit to Dayton showing up at the press conference where his firing was the primary topic.
Wasn't often a fan of DM, but he has character. Most admirable thing he did was commit to paying minor leaguers in 2020 when everyone else said they wouldn't.
Yeah, he did not have to be there. That shows a lot to me about the person he is. He deserves a job in baseball, I’m just happy it’s no longer making baseball decisions for the Royals.
Agree with all comments and observations that Dayton Moore is a fine man and a high quality person. Like you, I have some reservations about his right-hand man taking over the ship, but I believe Sherman must have already had the conversation with him about big changes in direction or he wouldn't have been retained. David - really interested in your candidate list for pitching development leadership as that's clearly our biggest challenge. Overall, an encouraging day and development in what has been a year of consistent disappointments. Finally, I found it encouraging that Mr. Sherman is a) Clearly keeping track of wins and losses and not just moral victories and b) An active owner with his eye on every part of the operations. Very refreshing.
Pitching development is something that I have less knowledge about, so I'm reaching out to some people to try to get a better idea of who should be on that list. Might be a little bit on that as I compile. But there will be a list of pitching coaches at the big league level and managers, so stay tuned for that if and when they're need (and I'll be shocked if they aren't needed).
The change caught me surprised in the timing of it. I was thinking anything would wait until the offseason at this point. Do you think the timing had anything to do with DM’s comments on the Athletic article the end of last week. Where….it was going to wait until the end of the season….but once his comments came out it was we need to move now? DM’s comments all season just seemed odd….like he knew this was coming or being pushed out.
I honestly don't know. I will say that those comments would have been the straw that broke the camel's back and not the reason, but they very well could have. Sherman mentioned they started talking a couple of days ago. Does that mean Friday? Sunday night? Saturday morning? I don't know. Did the talks happen because of the comments? I don't know.
I've alluded to change for a long time now. I wish I could have flat out said "hey, Dayton is done" but I just couldn't get any confirmation on the rumors that I had heard from so many people, but this isn't a decision that came quickly for Sherman, much to the dismay of many. So I think, yeah, the comments throughout the season definitely contributed to it. Maybe there was tension. Maybe there wasn't and Sherman just didn't like the face of the franchise making the comments he made. I don't know. It's interesting. I do think the timing has a lot to do with the coaching staff changes that are coming and wanting to ensure that they were JJ's moves and JJ's only. I could be wrong there, but that makes sense to me.
yeah very interesting. I always thought he’d get a retiring or resigning send off so the fact that he was just fired makes me think it was covid deal, pitching development, and comments all coming together. And honestly, it had to be done to give everyone a fresh start. Now, Lynch, Bubic, all these young guys. Its now, we’ve replaced or are replacing the pitching development, coaching, etc. Maybe it was them and its now a fresh start for you guys. And if it doesn’t work with any of them from here on out, its now on them more going forward. Everyone gets a fresh start now. Reset that playoff window back a year or two, its just good business. Lol.
Absolutely, but I also kind of like the continuity with JJ because if, as one scout in that article said, the players are not the issue but the development is, I think this could turn quicker than it seems like it could right now. Much easier to figure it out if you have the right players than if you don't, so if that's the case, the right instruction could turn that worm for them and to have JJ around means the timeline doesn't have to get drastically altered.
Looking back at it now. Was the promoting JJ and DM last offseason the sign this was going to happen? I think Sherman kinda new at that point and wanted JJ in more decision making. DM takes the fall if it doesn’t work. DM had to see the writing on the wall at that point. All speculation. Very interesting though.
What I had heard was that Sherman wanted JJ to handle the day-to-day baseball side and Dayton to focus on bigger picture. I don't know if that's rumor or fact at this point honestly, but my thoughts are that when Dayton didn't stay out of the day-to-day, that's when things got precarious for him.
My guess, and that's all that it is, is that this move "resets the shot clock," pushing back the urgency for a playoff appearance by at least one year. That's especially so if they hire a new manager.
Ditto. Seems strange to make this move with a couple weeks left in the season, but I guess there's no better time than the present to get down to work!
David Lesky, Of those names you mentioned in the article, who would be your top one or two choices? Can we expect an article on potential managers, hitting and pitching coaches, etc. or will you wait until the axe actually falls? Once again, another great and informative article. Thanks!
Like I wrote, Arnold would be my top choice here. You won’t need an article on hitting coaches because that won’t change. It may not be Zumwalt but it’ll be someone in that group. And yes, I mentioned I already have a manager’s article written and pitching coaches are a work in progress now for me.
I'm obviously in favor of moving on from Moore, but I'm not sure I trust an owner who doesn't know how many hands a human has. From The Athletic: “On one hand, it’s about development,” Sherman said. “On one hand, it’s about data-driven decision-making. On one hand, it’s about being willing and trying to upgrade your team all the time.”
Are we sure he doesn't have three hands? Seems like a pretty cool bar trick if he does.
Mr. Sherman went full George W. with that one.
Fool me once…
One quote from Sherman that I haven't seen discussed but that I think backs up your thought that "...maybe Sherman wanted to draw a line in the sand and make sure that the decisions made on said coaching staff were Picollo’s and had nothing to do with Moore..." is when he said that while evaluating Moore and others "...I felt like we needed to make more change than what was being talked about and that's was a big part of why we're making this change." That quote confirms in my mind that even after this disaster of a season, Dayton's ideas moving forward were still going to default to loyalty to his people, specifically Matheny and possibly Eldred. Am I off base?
No, I think that checks out. I think the organization wasn't going to be able to move forward with the changes Sherman wanted to see if Dayton was around in any capacity. So yeah, I buy that.
Throwing money at qualified front office personnel is the only way for small market teams to compete. When you're paying Hunter Dozier almost $5 million per year, it seems like a no brainer to throw money at people that can identify and develop talent. I'm guessing that most of the candidates identified can be pried loose if the dollars are sufficiently enticing, particularly if the owner indicates that he will also spend the money necessary to obtain and apply the latest technology.
Would Sherman have made the move now (instead of the off season) if Moore hadn't given that tone deaf, defensive dismissal of The Athletic article? Maybe he would have even allowed him to quietly resign in November instead of so publicly firing him?
I can’t imagine that was what made the difference between a quiet resignation and this.
Loved this one!
David, if I may, I'd like to request prayers for the person I wish I could talk to about the Royals and this Dayton/JJ change right now: My dear friend, lifelong Royals fan and Chiefs studio broadcaster Art Hains.
Art is in critical condition in the ICU and on a ventilator. Doctors believe he has an immune system disorder. Art is an absolute titan of the radio industry and a man who's always helped young professionals, including yours truly.
I'm honestly not sure what I'd do without him. Just here hoping for the best for a man who loves Kansas City, the Royals and his family. https://sports.yahoo.com/longtime-missouri-state-athletics-broadcaster-184649048.html
Oh no, that’s awful to hear. I think I’ve only spoken to Art a couple of times, but you simply never hear a bad word about the man. You, him and everyone in his orbit are most definitely in my thoughts.
In my mind there are still two burning issues... I appreciate your efforts to address them but right now nobody can really say for sure...
1) JJ was Robin to Dayton's Batman for so long, how can we be sure he isn't Dayton 2.0?
2) I really hope you're right about massive change coming to the organization. I'll believe it when Matheny and Eldred are gone and when there's been a massive overhaul of the pitching coaches, development people, and evaluators throughout the organization.
I actually specifically wrote about that this morning on Royals Review - https://www.royalsreview.com/2022/9/23/23367758/leskys-notes-lets-see-if-a-change-does-the-royals-good.
I'm not sure JJ has been Robin even. Look, it may not work, but I don't think it's completely fair to say that JJ is just Dayton Jr. as I've seen from some. He may have been a few years ago, but he's done quite a bit to change.
Fun conspiracy theory I imagined: Dayton knew it was time for him to go and that it was JJ's time to lead. He refused a chance to resign or accept some ceremonial position within the organization.
But not out of an "I'll never resign" attitude. More out of a "Say you fired me. Because that's what needs to happen for the Kansas City Royals. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded" kind of thing. He could be the villain ... because he could take it.
Dayton was the hero Kansas City deserved, but not the one it needs right now.
Everyone: "Isn't that ... isn't that the ending of The Dark Knight?"
Me: "Sshhhhhhh."