By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
After firing Mike Matheny at the end of the regular season, new Royals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager J.J Picollo began searching for the new manager of the club.
After just four weeks of interviews and searching for the right man for the job, Picollo has found the next manager of the Kansas City Royals. Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro has been hired as the 18th manager in the history of the franchise.
According to sources, while many candidates were interviewed for the job, Quatraro was always viewed as the favorite to take the job. Quatraro will be introduced to fans and media on Thursday during a press conference at Kauffman Stadium.
“We are extremely excited to have Matt leading our club and core of talent,” Royals executive vice president and general manager J.J. Picollo said in a news release announcing the hire. “Matt has great experiences throughout his career that have prepared him for this."
"He thoroughly impressed us all during our interview process and is clearly respected across the industry. We are looking forward to working alongside Matt to bring winning baseball to our great fans."
Quatraro, 48, spent the last five seasons on Kevin Cash’s staff in Tampa Bay, including one season as the third-base coach and four as the bench coach. The Rays reached the postseason in four of Quatraro's five years on their big league staff, including a World Series appearance in 2020.
Quatraro also served as Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach from 2014-17, overlapping with Royals owner John Sherman’s minority stake there. His experience and success in both helped his candidacy in Kansas City, as Sherman views both Tampa Bay and Cleveland as models for small-market success.
On top of all that, Quatraro has the respect and adoration of players, coaches and executives from around the industry. He has interviewed for several managerial openings, including with the Pirates and Giants after the 2019 season, the Tigers after ’20, the A’s and Mets after ’21 and the Marlins this offseason before they hired Skip Schumaker -- allowing the Royals to finalize their offer.
“I’m grateful to Mr. Sherman and the ownership group, J.J. and the front office and everyone else with the Royals for this opportunity,” Quatraro said through the Royals. “I already knew the talent on the roster and how great the fans in Kansas City are, and the interview process convinced me that the terrific things I’d heard about the organization’s culture are true. I can’t wait to get started, and for my family to get to Kansas City and be part of that community."
The Royals are looking for someone to shepherd their young core -- which includes Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino and a slew of young pitchers -- to the next window of contention, and Quatraro receives high praise for his communication with players.
"J.J. and his staff designed and executed a rigorous process that revealed Matt to be the best leader for our club," Sherman said in the news release. "Matt is widely respected throughout baseball with a proven record and tangible contributions in two organizations that built winning cultures through creativity and innovation. We are thrilled to welcome Matt, his wife Chris and sons George and Leo to the Kansas City community."
Having hired their manager, the Royals and Quatraro will now turn to filling out the coaching staff, including a new pitching coach after Cal Eldred was let go on the final day of the season. Picollo has already announced that the hitting side will largely stay the same, with Alec Zumwalt as the hitting coach and Mike Tosar and Keoni DeRenne as assistant hitting coaches.