General manager Dayton Moore surveys the growing wreckage of a season gone wrong and remains undaunted in his belief — in his certainty — the Royals are poised for eventual long-term success as an organization.He turns a deaf ear to growing demands that change is required — something, anything — to shake the club from the malaise that, after Wednesday’s debacle, produced 46 losses in its last 65 games.“Let me ask you this,” Moore challenged. “How much success has this organization had (recently)? And how many changes have they made?”The questions are, he knows, rhetorical and the answers obvious: None and a lot. And after a pause, he continues.“OK, then,” he said. “Let’s just trust the process. If other people don’t want to trust the process, that’s fine. If other people want to abandon the process, then abandon it. I’m not abandoning the process. I believe in the process.“You get a good group of people together. You work hard together. You trust in one another. You go through the difficult times. You work hard to make good decisions. You keep guys together and, eventually, it will happen.”Moore is convinced he has put together just such a group in his three-plus years since arriving from Atlanta, no matter what tarnish now dulls his reputation as one of the game’s top young executives.“You can’t keep changing,” he said. “I understand the frustration from the fans. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on. I knew there would be a barrage of negativity if we didn’t win sooner than later at the major-league level. We’ve got to persevere through all of that.”Moore points to the club’s 18-11 start, prior to the onset of injuries to several key players, as validation of the organization’s approach.“I go back to the same thing all of the time,” he said. “If our processes were so poor, how were we able to put together a pretty good team in the off-season? We went through the process, and most people around baseball felt we were vastly improved.“That’s what we have tried to do in repairing some of the injuries that have occurred. That’s all I can say.”Moore acknowledges that, in addition to injuries, several players have underperformed but dismisses the suggestion the Royals overlooked the opportunity to acquire better players.“This is the funny thing about this job,” he said. “People think we’re idiots. Don’t you think we start with the very best (free agents) and talk to those players and talk to their agents and see what their interests are?“There is talent here. We have some players who have to step up. Ultimately, it’s about players coming out and performing. We’re going to keep the group we have, and we’re going to work. That’s the only way I know how to do it. It might not be the right way, but it’s the only way I know how to do it.”Moore suggested some of the organization’s better moves are often overlooked — particularly upgrades in the rotation, long an organizational weakness.The Royals, under his watch, signed Gil Meche, drafted Luke Hochevar, traded for Brian Bannister and worked out a four-year deal with Zack Greinke. The rotation is now generally viewed as the club’s top strength.“I’m always re-evaluating decisions that we make,” Moore said. “All of the time. But Luke Hochevar, does he look good for us? Banny? Zack? Zack’s had a breakout year. Boy, I’m glad we were proactive and aggressive with that.

Posted on Wed, Jul. 22, 2009 11:30 PM

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Moore has no doubt that Royals are on the right track for long-term success

By BOB DUTTON

The Kansas City Star

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He turns a deaf ear to growing demands that change is required — something, anything — to shake the club from the malaise that, after Wednesday’s debacle, produced 46 losses in its last 65 games.

“Let me ask you this,” Moore challenged. “How much success has this organization had (recently)? And how many changes have they made?”

The questions are, he knows, rhetorical and the answers obvious: None and a lot. And after a pause, he continues.

“OK, then,” he said. “Let’s just trust the process. If other people don’t want to trust the process, that’s fine. If other people want to abandon the process, then abandon it. I’m not abandoning the process. I believe in the process.

“You get a good group of people together. You work hard together. You trust in one another. You go through the difficult times. You work hard to make good decisions. You keep guys together and, eventually, it will happen.”

Moore is convinced he has put together just such a group in his three-plus years since arriving from Atlanta, no matter what tarnish now dulls his reputation as one of the game’s top young executives.

“You can’t keep changing,” he said. “I understand the frustration from the fans. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on. I knew there would be a barrage of negativity if we didn’t win sooner than later at the major-league level. We’ve got to persevere through all of that.”

Moore points to the club’s 18-11 start, prior to the onset of injuries to several key players, as validation of the organization’s approach.

“I go back to the same thing all of the time,” he said. “If our processes were so poor, how were we able to put together a pretty good team in the off-season? We went through the process, and most people around baseball felt we were vastly improved.

“That’s what we have tried to do in repairing some of the injuries that have occurred. That’s all I can say.”

Moore acknowledges that, in addition to injuries, several players have underperformed but dismisses the suggestion the Royals overlooked the opportunity to acquire better players.

“This is the funny thing about this job,” he said. “People think we’re idiots. Don’t you think we start with the very best (free agents) and talk to those players and talk to their agents and see what their interests are?

“There is talent here. We have some players who have to step up. Ultimately, it’s about players coming out and performing. We’re going to keep the group we have, and we’re going to work. That’s the only way I know how to do it. It might not be the right way, but it’s the only way I know how to do it.”

Moore suggested some of the organization’s better moves are often overlooked — particularly upgrades in the rotation, long an organizational weakness.

The Royals, under his watch, signed Gil Meche, drafted Luke Hochevar, traded for Brian Bannister and worked out a four-year deal with Zack Greinke. The rotation is now generally viewed as the club’s top strength.

“I’m always re-evaluating decisions that we make,” Moore said. “All of the time. But Luke Hochevar, does he look good for us? Banny? Zack? Zack’s had a breakout year. Boy, I’m glad we were proactive and aggressive with that.

Posted on Wed, Jul. 22, 2009 11:30 PM

Buzz Up

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