How an unpredictable start has shaped way in which the Royals’ owner might operate now
John Sherman isn’t talking much publicly, not yet, so we can only guess how perhaps the strangest introduction to team ownership in sports history has affected both his world view and how he’ll lead the Royals into the future.
But we can make sure it’s an educated guess.
Among Sherman’s most attractive qualities for Royals fans is his experience. Baseball teams — not just small-market ones, but any team — aren’t often bought by a person with prior ownership experience.
That’s what Sherman had, with four years as an involved and influential but minority investor in the Cleveland Indians. That experience was a major selling point to Royals fans, particularly with the Indians averaging 95 wins during Sherman’s time there.
It’s hard to imagine any of that being a help as Sherman had to navigate his new $1 billion investment through the closure of spring training, a global pandemic, decisions on staff, decisions on minor-leaguers and an ugly and public fight between the owners and players before he could watch his first regular-season game.
One point Sherman made consistently with those who work for him: Focus on what we can do now to make sure we’re better when baseball restarts.
Toward that end, a few things stick out, some noticeable by reading the news with all of that mind, and other points coming from conversations this week with people who know Sherman as a businessman or are working for him now.
First, it’s worth noting that the Indians — under the leadership of controlling owner Paul Dolan, Sherman’s former partner — reportedly furloughed part-time workers and interns and cut the pay of some 40 senior staff to help ensure pay for others.
The Indians also released 11 of their minor-leaguers but committed to paying and providing benefits for the rest.
Now, in comparison to the rest of baseball — *squints judgmental eye toward the Angels* — the Indians did relatively well by their people.
But not as supportive as the Royals, who furloughed no employees, cut no minor-leaguers and trimmed the pay of a small number of senior executives.
That’s the clearest break we can see so far between Sherman’s old place and the new team he’s shaping. Again, the Indians are not the bad guy here — some interns and part-timers could make more from unemployment than they were being paid by a team — but this is an example of Sherman making his own decisions.
Along those lines, Sherman has received a complete immersion in the culture developed by general manager Dayton Moore and others in the Royals’ leadership hierarchy.
The Indians are more analytically focused than the Royals, which — even if nobody said this part out loud — made some in the Royals’ baseball operations department nervous.
They still haven’t played a game or gone through real-life major-league talent-acquisition discussions, but there is generally more comfort that any shift in how players are analyzed internally will complement the Royals’ culture, and not drown it out.
Sherman is not believed to have had much (if any) tangible influence on what became an embarrassing fight between the owners and baseball’s players. He hasn’t had the job long enough and isn’t sitting on influential committees.
That’s understandable, and perhaps beneficial — more time to concentrate on the Royals.
Sherman’s style is said to err on the side of over-communication, with a dizzying number — well over a thousand — of video-conference calls.
The juxtaposition here is hard to miss. While the commissioner and union were busy wasting time not talking to each other, Royals executives were getting to know each other in new ways. Department heads presented information to other departments, from analytics to scouting to business and more.
This next part will take time to confirm, but it’s also interesting what these last few months have done for the relationship between Sherman and Moore.
This isn’t talked about much, but Moore and David Glass were extremely close. Glass admired Moore’s organization, work ethic and the way those in baseball operations worked for him.
In turn, Moore held Glass’ business career in high esteem and appreciated Glass’ way of challenging baseball executives with questions while virtually always supporting their decisions.
Glass appreciated that Moore took big-picture guidance on budgets and operating mechanics, and Moore knew that if he made the right presentation he could usually get Glass to extend the payroll.
That’s all said to make this point: A new owner, particularly one who’d spent the previous four years in a division rival’s culture, was an enormous change for Moore and the rest of KC’s baseball operations people.
Moore is the game’s third-longest tenured GM, and so many who work for him have been here since the beginning. This was an arranged marriage, and there can be no guarantees about how that will play out.
They still have not played a game, of course, and the future remains uncertain. But Sherman and Moore have worked together closer and more often these last three months than they likely would have in normal times.
Again, nobody can be sure that will help drive success on the field. But it should smooth the process of trying.
Moore and several who work for him knew of Sherman before Glass decided to sell the team. Sherman had been involved with the Urban Youth Academy, for instance. He and Moore had talked at least once, at a private event. Moore and Sherman had mutual friends. Kansas City isn’t that big. Moore knew that when Glass wanted to sell, he talked to Sherman and no one else.
Moore knew Sherman’s reputation, in other words, but little else.
Sherman was a longtime Royals season ticket-holder. That story has been told. He was the kind of fan (with the kind of wealth) who was given a hall pass of sorts to leave a European vacation with his wife to attend the 2014 World Series. He followed the team closely, even in the bad years, knowing not just a given night’s starting pitcher but which relievers threw the night before and might not be availablein the bullpen.
Sherman knew of Moore’s reputation, in other words, but little else.
They know each other in a new way now. Go back to the beginning. Remember the part about Sherman constantly asking his people how they can ensure a better organization when baseball comes back?
Think about what they did. They reorganized internally, prioritizing more communication across the company, while developing emerging departments like behavioral science.
They challenged each other, got to know each other in new ways, streamlining some processes and expanding others. They continued community work, such as food drives, and are reopening programs at the Urban Youth Academy.
They became something like a conscience of the sport, minimizing paycuts, furloughing nobody and fully supporting minor-leaguers — earning some subtle scorn from other clubs, but admiration from agents and players along the way.
They have every reason to believe they’ve improved, is the point. Few organizations were better positioned to take advantage, with a brand-new owner and established front office, of this year’s unprecedented situation.
Soon, and over the next few years, we’ll see how much that matters in what remains a significant challenge of consistently winning from a small baseball market.