Kansas City Royals All Time Best Managers

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For the most part, the only time one pays attention to the manager of a baseball team is when they are either arguing a call with an umpire or make a questionable decision that could cost their team the game. While some managers earn a reputation for being ingenious innovators or brilliant baseball minds, such as Joe Maddon or Buck Showalter, other managers are frequently thought of as the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, completely devoid of intellect.

For the longest time, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost was in that latter camp. His tendency to bunt at any given moment, and his questionable decisions on the diamond, led one to wonder what, exactly, he was thinking, if he even was. Even when the Royals were heading to the playoffs last season, there was the sentiment that the team was winning despite Yost being at the helm.

That mindset began to change in the postseason. Despite almost sabotaging the Royals playoff run with his ill-fated decision to bring Yordano Ventura into the Wild Card Game, the Royals ended up one game away from winning the World Series. Yost seemingly hit all the right buttons, as the Royals were a juggernaut through the American League postseason.

This year, that momentum has carried over. The Kansas City Royals possess the best record in the American League. Yost, now the longest tenured manager in the 46 year history of the Royals, has passed Whitey Herzog to lead the team in all time wins managing the franchise. Not bad for someone who was once considered the village idiot.

Where does Ned Yost rank among the list of the all time Kansas City Royals managers? Let us take a look through the five best in team history and see where he belongs.

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4. Jim Frey

Jim Frey managed the Kansas City Royals for a season and a half. While his tenure was not even close to the longest in franchise history, one would be heard pressed to find another manager that was as successful.

During Frey’s first season with the Royals, in 1980, they finally broke through against their rivals, the New York Yankees. For much of the late 1970’s, the Royals and Yankees would meet in the postseason, only to see the Bronx Bombers emerge victorious. This changed in 1980, when the Royals finally broke through, sweeping the Yankees and ending Dick Howser‘s time in New York (more on him later).

Yet, that run to the World Series did not lead to a long tenure with the Royals. In fact, Frey lasted into the following year, fired twenty games after the player’s strike in 1981 ended. At the time, the Royals were 10-10, but were in first place because of the split season. Ironically, Frey ended up being replaced by Howser who was likewise let go after a successful first season managing.

Would the Kansas City Royals have been better served to be more patient with Jim Frey? It is certainly an interesting topic to debate. Yet, even though his tenure lasted under two years, Frey left his mark on the Royals.

Next: Yosted

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3. Ned Yost

It seemed like the Ned Yost Watch was on for much of the first few months last season. The Kansas City Royals, who expected to build off their excellent 2013 season, were floundering under .500 into July. Yost was on the hot seat.

Then, the Royals caught fire. They surged back into contention, ending one game behind the Detroit Tigers and into the Wild Card Game. Even then, it seemed as though Yost had a tentative grasp upon his job, as we all remembered how Dale Svuem replaced him in Milwaukee on the cusp of the playoffs.

Through it all, Yost persevered. Even with the rough patches during that Wild Card Game, the Royals continued to believe, eventually emerging victorious as they swept through the American League. Now, possessing the longest tenure of any manager in Royals history, and having surpassed Whitey Herzog for the most wins in Royals history, it is Yost who has the last laugh.

It may have taken quite a lot of tome for fans of the Kansas City Royals to appreciate Ned Yost, but there may not be a better person for the position right now. Sure, we may still question his moves, but he is our manager. In Ned we trust.

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2. Whitey Herzog

The Kansas City Royals managed to go from being an expansion franchise to a perennial contender in an astonishingly short amount of time. Leading the way as the Royals become one of the model franchises in baseball was Whitey Herzog.

Herzog, who was 47-91 during his stint managing the Texas Rangers in 1973, proved to be the perfect fit for the up and coming Royals. With his brand of baseball, or “Whiteyball” as it came to be known, he formulated his teams around pitching, speed and defense (sounds like the current Royals, come to think of it). He was the catalyst behind players like Frank White and Al Cowens getting their chance, and was exactly what the Royals needed.

However, despite never having a losing record or finishing worse than second during his time in Kansas City, Herzog was let go after the 1979 season. His argumentative nature, and constant criticism that the Royals front office would not spend to acquire top talent, led to Ewing Kauffman dismissing Herzog for Jim Frey. While Herzog won a World Series with the cross state Cardinals in 1982, the Royals had the last laugh in 1985, defeating Herzog’s Cardinals in seven games.

Yet, that championship would not have come without Whitey Herzog forming the basis for the Golden Era of Kansas City Royals baseball. He may not have reached the World Series in Kansas City, but he set the stage for those runs during the 1980’s.

Next: A brilliant career cut off too soon

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1. Dick Howser

Even now, thirty years after he guided the Kansas City Royals to their only World Series championship, and 28 years after his untimely passing due to a brain tumor, Dick Howser is entwined in Royals lore. One of three people to have their number retired by the team, Howser stands immortalized in bronze, standing with his foot on the top step of the dugout, waiting to celebrate yet another victory.

Howser, while remembered for that World Series championship, was far more successful than in just that one year. He guided the Royals to three playoff berths, tied with Herzog for the most in team history. His 404 wins is third all time, and one has to wonder how many more victories he would have amassed had his time not been cut short.

Howser, with his calm demeanor and ever present confidence, was exactly the guiding voice the Royals needed. They had been to the playoffs before, and even made a World Series appearance, but were unable to take that final step. Even when things looked darkest during Game Six, the Royals persevered, in no small part sue to Howser’s belief in their ability to win.

Whitey Herzog may have set the foundation, but Dick Howser was able to bring home the prize. For that, he remains the greatest manager in Kansas City Royals history.

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