KC Royals Midweek Musings: Coaches passed over

A couple of KC Royals coaches didn’t get managing jobs, another club may come after Kansas City executives, and Terrance Gore’s team outrighted him.

Some KC Royals Midweek Musings while wondering where Brandon Maurer is these days:

Some people just land on their feet.  About a year ago at this time, news of scandal rocked the big leagues when reports surfaced that the Houston Astros engaged in improper sign stealing. In other words, they cheated. Reports of the Red Sox doing the same soon followed and, after an investigation that let involved players off the hook in exchange for their cooperation, Major League Baseball baseball suspended Houston manager AJ Hinch and his former bench coach, Alex Cora, who by then skippered Boston, for a season apiece. Their suspensions ended as soon as this year’s World Series ended.

Now, Hinch and Cora are managers again. After interviewing several candidates, including Kansas City coach Pedro Grifol and former KC catcher Sal Fasano, Detroit ended up hiring Hinch. The Red Sox, to no one’s real surprise, brought back Cora; remember, they hadn’t “fired” him, they just reached a mutual understanding that Cora couldn’t manage the 2020 club.

What the reemployment of Hinch and Cora represents is reduceable to this: ugliness is in the eye of the beholder. Both were involved in the kind of sign stealing baseball won’t tolerate and may or may not have influenced the outcome of any games.

Grifol’s name was linked to the Boston job and Wilson’s to the Detroit opening; I would have felt better about the whole thing if they had been hired instead of Hinch and Cora. The amount of time served doesn’t seem quite enough, but that was Commissioner Rob Manfred’s doing.

Will the Mets come hunting?  Kings of Kauffman writer Shawn Bauman recently wrote about Royals executives who could depart for other front offices. Don’t be surprised to see the Mets figure in his future stories—soon after new owner Steven Cohen took over the club, several key front office personnel departed, including general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and former Kansas City GM Allard Baird.

Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore’s aides are becoming increasingly popular. Shawn may have even more to write about if the Mets cast their eyes toward Kansas City.

Overseas updates.  We’ve followed for several months the exploits of three former Royals now plying their trade overseas. Aaron Brooks was pitching for the Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization until returning home in September after family members were involved in a serious auto accident. Brooks was 11-4 with a 2.50 ERA at the time. His Tigers didn’t make the playoffs.

Nori Aoki, Alcides Escobar and their Tokyo Yakult Swallows missed the Nippon Professional Baseball League playoffs in Japan, but the ex-Royals wrapped up good individual seasons when the club played its final game Tuesday. Aoki finished the campaign with 18 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .317 average in 107 games, while Escobar had a homer, 30 RBIs and hit .273 in 104 contests.

Looking at another pitcher?  Our David Scharff tells you about a pitcher the Royals appear to be looking at here.

Terrance Gore.  The World Champion Dodgers outrighted former Royal Terrance Gore recently. Don’t be surprised if he plays elsewhere in 2021, but don’t look for Kansas City to pursue him. The club already has more outfielders than it knows what to do with.

That’s all for now. We’ll be back next week with more KC Royals Midweek Musings. Until then, stay safe and healthy.