The Kansas City Royals made some pretty big changes after their 9-2 season-ending loss to the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians yesterday, firing manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred.
This comes just mere weeks after the firing of president of baseball operations Dayton Moore.
Needless to say, changes are coming to Kansas City.
Who will fill the managerial void is unknown at this time, but on Twitter, MLB insider Jon Morosi named a potential candidate to take the job, that being Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough, whose father, Howard, is a scout with the Royals.
The door could be open for McCullough to take the job.
Clayton McCullough, #Dodgers first base coach, is among the candidates for the #Royals managerial opening, as I reported earlier today on @MLBNetwork.
Of note: McCullough's father, Howard, is a scout with the Royals. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 6, 2022
Potential Connections
This will certainly help him get his foot in the door, and it provides the Royals with a good option as a potential manager.
McCullough obviously has some solid coaching experience, having been with the Dodgers for quite some time and experiencing winning baseball.
That experience could be valuable for the Royals as they look to begin the next phase of the franchise.
Kansas City finished 67-95 this season, and at the bottom of the AL Central division.
Matheny couldn’t take them to the next level like they had hoped.
But the fact that McCullough’s father is a scout within the Royals system could give him an advantage as Kansas City searches for its next manager.
There will certainly be other candidates who can fill the role, but McCullough might be the favorite thanks to his prior connections with the organization.
We’ll see if that can help him get his foot in the door and if he is ultimately the candidate the Royals choose to succeed Matheny.
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