Ned Yost already planning on how to build AL team for All-Star Game

Ned Yost’s office isn’t a public space.

However, the Royals manager holds pregame chats with select baseball reporters, so the board with the names of American League players stays hidden. It’s the way he wants it.

The list of names is not for scouting purposes, because it contains Royals players. It’s Yost’s early work on building an All-Star Game roster.

For the second straight year, Yost will manage the American League in the Midsummer Classic, and he takes the task seriously. That’s why he has a board stashed in this office, even though the game is not until July 12 in San Diego. It’s what he and his coaches are using to plot their building of the squad.

“Right now, we’re waiting on the fan voting to see who the starters will be and then we’re waiting on the players voting to see who the players vote in and then we kind of go from there and complete the team with pieces that we feel will help us win that game,” Yost said.

“We’ve already got a strategy of the way we want to run the game and how we think we can win the game. We just have to wait and see who the players are.”

Yost said that someone on the American League squad will benefit from a victory. The Royals have been the team to benefit the last two seasons.

He hopes a win in California will ultimately result in the Royals having the edge in the World Series.

The Royals are 13-3 in home playoff games over the past two seasons.

“If you’ve ever been to a playoff game in Kansas City, you know that’s a home-field advantage,” Yost said. “It’s big. It’s big for everybody, especially when you get down to the end of the season and you’re playing a big series, you want that home-field advantage. You want your fans behind you. You want to sleep in your own bed. It’s important.”