By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Kansas City Royals Executive Vice President and General Manager J.J. Picollo announced Wednesday night that Manager Mike Matheny and Pitching Coach Cal Eldred will not return for the 2023 season.
"We are grateful to Mike for leading us through some unusual times these last three seasons,” Picollo said. “He met those challenges head on and helped us move forward in a positive manner. We thank him for his leadership and know his influence will have a positive impact moving forward."
Matheny went 165-219 (.430) in three seasons from 2020-2022 with the team never finishing higher than fourth in the AL Central.
Three different Royals earned Rawlings Gold Glove Awards during Matheny’s tenure with Kansas City, including Alex Gordon (2020), Andrew Benintendi (2021) and Michael A. Taylor (2021).
“Managing the Royals has been a true privilege,” Matheny said. “I’m thankful to so many, primarily Dayton Moore, and the coaches and players I’ve worked with. I would like to thank Mr. John Sherman and the ownership group for the opportunity to manage their team, and everyone involved in this great organization. I came to the Royals knowing it was an organization of excellence and care, and was shown that care every single day. Royals fans should be excited about this group of players, and I look forward to watching them continue to grow.”
Matheny spent parts of seven seasons managing the St. Louis Cardinals, finishing each with a winning record and winning the National League pennant in 2013.
But after his firing midway through 2018, he was hired by the Royals in an advisory role, and then tapped to succeed longtime manager Ned Yost when he retired before the 2020 season.
Eldred has been the Royals Pitching Coach since 2018, after he joined the organization as an Assistant to the General Manager from 2016-17.