KC Royals: 6 potential Mike Matheny replacements

Could the KC Royals choose a member of their staff to replace Mike Matheny?

Take this to the bank if talk of Kansas City firing Mike Matheny intensifies—current bench coach Pedro Grifol will be one of the first names suggested as a possible replacement.

And there’s a certain logic to a Grifol candidacy.

He’s a veteran of the organization whose visibility increased immediately in 2013 when the Royals appointed him to help George Brett during the Hall of Famer’s short-lived tenure as hitting coach, and he then replaced Brett when Brett left the dugout and returned to the front office.

Matheny made Grifol his bench coach not long after taking over from Ned Yost, and that’s been his primary role ever since. Frequently mentioned as a managerial candidate, he’s interviewed with other clubs but has yet to land a skipper’s job.

Should Kansas City consider him? Of course. Whether they should hire him is another matter.

Grifol certainly seems capable of handling the job, but the Royals might want a clean break from Matheny. If they do, they’ll have to look beyond his present staff for a successor, and that means passing on Grifol.

On the other hand, Grifol is by all accounts popular and well-respected in the KC clubhouse. Expect him to receive serious consideration if the Royals make a move.