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SPORTS A19
Thursday 16 July 2015

After World Series run, Royals proving rebuild was no fluke

By DAVE SKRETTA American League manager Ned Yost, of the Kansas City Royals hugs American League’s Salvador Perez, of the Kansas City Roy-
AP Sports Writer als after the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --
On a crisp, cool night last Associated Press
October, John Schuerholz
walked through the gates The frugal franchise could season-ending groin injury tial acquisitions. money talent would fold.
of Kauffman Stadium. Ev- not afford to keep staff to star outfielder Alex Gor- In that respect, Moore is a But so far, they are still in
ery seat was full, bunting ace James Shields when don. lot like his manager. the hunt, their eye on de-
hung proudly from the rail- he hit free agency, so they “I’m not really smart. I’m “It doesn’t really matter fending their AL pennant.
ings. There was a buzz. allowed him to sign in San not. But I’m a believer in what we’ve done,” said If they can do it, you can
It was all so familiar. Diego. Moore then signed players,” Moore explained. Ned Yost, who served as bet Schuerholz will be
“That’s what we used to Edinson Volquez, Chris “We knew those guys are the AL’s All-Star manager. pleased.
have all the time,” he told Young and Kris Medlen to winners. I can’t predict “You’ve just got to keep “There’s a lot of people in
The Associated Press, re- serve as replacements. what their numbers will be, your head down and keep this world that think they’re
flecting on the Royals’ im- None of them made head- but everyone we bring in, plodding along.” baseball experts, whether
probable run to the World lines nationally - the sign- we expect them to help us Many thought the Royals they’ve worked a day in
Series. “To see that back, ings were met with a col- win.” would regress this season, it or not,” he said. “What
and the banners over the lective, `Meh’ - but they Therein lies perhaps the that such a young team they’ve done in Kansas City
plaza and all over the have far exceeded expec- biggest change in Kansas devoid of big-name, big- is prove many wrong.”q
town, it was heartwarming. tations. City: Winning is expected.
It really was.” Volquez has been the most No longer do fans turn up
Kansas City had once dependable starter in the to waste away a lazy sum-
again become a baseball Kansas City rotation. Young mer evening.
town. has been perhaps the best.
And if anybody thought And Medlen is coming off No longer do they count
that it was a fluke, a lucky his second Tommy John the days until Arrowhead
run to a memorable au- surgery but could give Kan- Stadium comes alive
tumn climax, the Royals sas City a big second-half across the parking lot with
have done enough to boost if he is even a frac- the start of the NFL season.
prove them wrong: Sev- tion of the pitcher he once “I’ll say I never dreamt of
en players chosen to this was. this. You just do everything
week’s All-Star Game, a That’s just the starting rota- you can each and every
big lead in the AL Central, tion, too. day to improve your orga-
some of the best young Designated hitter Billy Butler nization,” Moore said. “But
talent in the game in their became too expensive, so then again, in our business,
clubhouse. Moore signed Kendrys Mo- accomplishments have no
“I’m happy for the orga- rales, who has out-played bearing on future success.”
nization,” said Schuerholz, Butler in every way. Paulo That is why Moore hardly
who was part of the initial Orlando may not be well reveled in last year’s suc-
front office when the fran- known, but he has helped cess. Even during the World
chise began in the late Kansas City weather injuries Series, he was tied up most
1960s, then built another and suspensions - includ- days in meetings, breaking
dynasty with the Atlanta ing the latest, a potentially down his roster and poten-
Braves, where he still serves
as the team’s president.
“They deserve what they
have,” he said, “but it took
a lot of work to get there.”
That work fell on the shoul-
ders of Dayton Moore, one
of Schuerholz’s top lieuten-
ants in Atlanta. He turned
down other general man-
ager openings, but the job
in Kansas City resonated
with Moore, who grew up
in Wichita and rooted for
the Royals as a kid.
Over most of a decade, he
tirelessly rebuilt their farm
system. He poured money
into scouting and player
development. He estab-
lished academies in the
Caribbean and pushed
boundaries of the status
quo in search of players
- retreads, hot prospects
and virtual unknowns.
None of that has changed
with their recent success,
either.