KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Ned Yost's retirement created a natural transition for the Kansas City Royals. With Yost setting off to enjoy time on his farm with his wife and their grandchildren, it meant without a doubt the players would have to respond to a different voice.
It also provided the opportunity to set a new tone for a club that's endured back-to-back 100-loss seasons amid talk of growing pains and players adjusting to the big leagues.
"I'm tired of hearing about the rebuild," said left fielder Alex Gordon, the longest-tenured Royals player, after re-signing with the club in late January. "It's kind of been like a two-year thing, and I feel like we're better than that."
Well, the Mike Matheny era as manager begins this week. Royals pitchers and catchers report Tuesday to Surprise, Arizona. They'll hold their first spring training workout on Wednesday, and the first full-squad workout will take place on Monday, Feb. 17.
Matheny's first task as the new sheriff will be to take advantage of this new beginning to set a standard and an atmosphere that pushes past the thoughts of rebuilding and the future.
Matheny officially stepped into Yost's shoes at the end of October, and he immediately embarked on a cross-country tour to introduce himself and interact face-to-face with the majority of 40-man roster players.
"(He's) ready to win and I think that's been a big key, expressing that to our players right now over the offseason," Gordon said. "We're not rebuilding. We're ready to win now. Hopefully, we can get that mindset in spring training because I feel like that needs to be addressed."
Shortly after making the comment, Gordon acknowledged that talk alone won't translate from the clubhouse to the field, as he added, "That's a lot of words just coming out of my mouth."
Gordon went on to add it will also take veterans like himself leading by example, setting the bar with their effort level and doing everything in their power to set up the team to win.
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