MLB WINTER MEETINGS

December 6, 2022

Matt Quatraro

Kansas City Royals

Press Conference

Q. The process, I know you talked about getting in touch with some of the players and sort of starting to get to know them. What's that process been like and where are you in that process right now?

MATT QUATRARO: What's it been like? It's been really enjoyable, to be honest. The energy level, the excitement, the positivity that I've heard from everybody has been off the charts, which has been really refreshing to me and kind of energized me about getting going.

How far into it am I? I would say probably, I don't know, 90 percent of the way. There's still some guys I haven't connected with. Some I've tried through texts or gotten some texts but some of the guys are playing winter ball. I just haven't gotten to everybody yet. But a lot of them.

Q. I think back when you had your press conference, you mentioned Salvy and Bobby being two of the first guys. I wonder, what has been sort of your conversation with them like? What have been your initial impressions of them, just guys and as players guys you've seen on the other side of the field?

MATT QUATRARO: I've had two brief conversations with Salvy. He's been traveling a lot. It's been tough to nail down a bit. But I've been super impressed with the accountability and the ability to articulate what he thinks is important. The same with Bobby.

Kind of mature beyond his experience level. Really professional. Really thoughtful in what he says. And you can tell through the conversations with other guys that they feel the same way about him.

Q. When you look more closely at the makeup of this roster get to know it more intimately, where are some areas you think you guys can take a step forward next year?

MATT QUATRARO: Well, I mean, you always step forward by pitching, getting people out is what wins games. I think that's where we're going to look to make our biggest strides on the pitching side.

I think it's exciting because the guys that are going to make those strides are the guys that are already here, for the most part.

So that's pretty cool to know that they've gotten those reps under their belt. Some of them have taken some lumps. Some are really aware of why they have and what they need to improve on.

So I think it's pretty cool that those guys have gotten those reps at the big league level, now they can start to make those big strides.

Q. And as you've on the pitching front, as you solidify that element of your coaching staff, what are the attributes you'd look for in Sweeney and the guys you're talking to, what is the philosophy you try to be on board with?

MATT QUATRARO: They're pretty well rounded in my opinion. They're great people. They care about the players. They want to make them better. They're good communicators, they're good listeners.

I think that's a big part of this is trying to get to where we're helping the players get better. We're not dictating what they're going to do.

We're partnering with them to make them as good as they can be through every avenue we can, whether it's mechanics, sports science, nutrition, all those -- every department is going to have a say, but they ultimately have to lead the way.

It's their career.

Q. Because you've worked for a couple of organizations that are terrific pitching pipeline, that factory going basically. I'm sure you've had a lot of takeaways from those experiences you can apply here?

MATT QUATRARO: Absolutely. And I think not having been in the pitching department for either of those teams, it's more observing, listening, watching how they work and interact with players.

And really, it's that every department has a voice and then they all come together for a common message to help the player improve.

Q. With Hoov, what was attractive to bring him over with you to be at Kansas City? What was the role, the Major League field coordinator in Tampa Bay, what were the duties in relation to yours as a bench coach?

MATT QUATRARO: So the first part of that what was attractive is he's a long-time friend of mine. A long-time teammate. Somebody I've seen on both sides of the ball as a coach, as a player.

And no one I've been around has the dedication and the drive to make players better like he does. I've been around a ton of good coaches. That's not to discount from anyone else.

But his willingness to dive into every aspect of what can help a player get better is unparalleled. And then from a game management standpoint, he is super aware of situations of rules, of people's emotions and feelings and how to help connect with those players. And that's going to be a huge attribute for me to utilize.

As far as what his role was in Tampa. It was pretty widespread. He helped me run Spring Training. He was integral in that. During the season, he would put together the daily schedule and what everybody was doing time-wise. As well as he controlled the running game. He was a big part of that. And he's the catching coach. He had a lot of responsibilities.

Q. Is he going to be the catching coach for you guys here?

MATT QUATRARO: Yes.

Q. You talked about pitching, I wondered at this point have you at all reached out to Greinke? Obviously he's a free agent but I know you guys have expressed interest in having him back obviously if he wants to play again?

MATT QUATRARO: I personally had one conversation with him shortly after I got the job. Beyond that, I don't know who else has spoken with him. I have had one conversation with him.

Q. Did you get a sense of what he was feeling about that?

MATT QUATRARO: It was early in the offseason. I think he was still about to go on vacation. So I think we just had more of an introductory conversation and just talked about some baseball stuff and his career and seeing him from the other side of the field stuff like that. But nothing in depth.

Q. As far as with guys like, I think specifically like O'Hearn who has been a guy who I think the organization decides to commit to him for several years, but could be maybe a not phrasing well here, but what do you see for him as far as his potential, what you might hope to get out of him with this group you guys received this roster?

MATT QUATRARO: I can speak to the roster more as a whole. And I think what we're going to try to do is use the entire roster. I think we're going to try to put guys in positions to where it's an advantageous matchup for them. Use off days judicially to help guys get rest and stay fresh and plug guys in and kind of use them on more of a fluid rotation.

So I would anticipate him getting more at-bats than he probably had last year. And being a big part of the team, whether it be off the bench or advantageous matchups on any given night.

Q. What do you see as the value of being some of the guys like him maybe more so even like Taylor, Salvy guys with that young group as far as just having those young guys along were the guys who are still finding their footing?

MATT QUATRARO: I think it's a great plan. And conversations with Michael Taylor and Dozier, guys that have more reps, they're very complementary of the young guys and how they've gone about their business and how they work and how they compete.

And on the other side, the younger players respect them for what they've done and the way they continue to be good leaders and good teammates.

So I think what I've seen so far, or not seen, but heard so far over the phone is these guys have a tremendous amount of respect for each other, which is a good place to start, good teamwork.

Q. Matt, do you plan a platoon a lot, I don't know if that's the best word to use.

MATT QUATRARO: Well, I think that would entail we know exactly who's on the team and all that stuff. So it's hard to really say, yeah, we're going to platoon these spots. What I can say we plan to use the whole roster. We'll try to put guys in the best positions to succeed on any given night and hopefully in order to have a platoon, you have to have both sides of it covered.

And I think that's something that we're going to actively try to do, is put a versatile roster together.

Q. At the GM meetings, I talked to JJ. He didn't use the word "platoon" but almost sounded like he thought you were really going to utilize the roster as you said. The reason I ask the question is that there's one school of thought that with young players, which you have a ton of, you're better off to have them hit against different types of pitchers just to get better at, that you're going to stunt growth in development if you only look for the right matchups. How will you approach that?

MATT QUATRARO: Sure. The more at-bats the better, generally. But at the same time, if you're taking an extreme example, but if you have a rookie left-handed hitter that comes up you're facing Chris Sale, you want to bank those three at-bats to say you got them and you got carved up or would you rather have somebody in there that has a fighting chance and then pick a softer landing for that lefty, whoever it is, until at the gets a little more confidence and maybe the ability to get in there and feel like he's got a fighting chance against somebody like that.

Is there a right answer? I don't know 100 percent. But I would say that I would take my chances with a Major League right-handed hitter against Chris Sale rather than a lefty that's not seen something like that before.

Q. He's an extreme example, obviously.

MATT QUATRARO: But you could pick -- that's the first name that came to mind. But tough left-handers, they're tough left-handers for a reason. If you have someone that's on a team that's a right-handed hitter you don't play them in that situation then why are they on the team? Guys have to have roles and whether that's a defensive replacement or a pinch runner or short-side platoon, whatever you want to call it, if you don't use them in the spots where they can help the team, then that's a wasted roster spot.

Q. You said yesterday you guys were just starting to talk about Bobby Wood Jr. where he might best play next year. What are going into those conversations about just whether he played shortstop or third base, what are the factors you're thinking about there?

MATT QUATRARO: I think the big thing is what's best for him as a young player and his development. And I think everyone understands that he's a premier athlete that can possibly play a premiere position. I think we're going to give him every chance we can to hopefully play short and really improve because I think that's where he wants to be. And that's a big part of it, his desire to be really good at it.

Q. I guess the metrics said he wasn't great at shortstop last year. You could see it obviously up close. But are there things beyond the numbers that maybe -- he does have the athleticism to play there that suggests he can grow into that spot.

MATT QUATRARO: Yeah, you just said it. He's super athletic. He's been a shortstop. That's where he wants to be.

I think when you have that recipe, you want to give that every chance to play out.

Q. With MJ, similar but also very different in terms of he's an athletic guy not necessarily somebody blocking him at that spot, catcher Salvy, left field is that something you've asked your hope for him to focus on that as opposed to the one or two positions to bounce around that sort of thing?

MATT QUATRARO: That's another thing we have to discuss I don't think we're at a spot you'll get this many games here, this many games here. I think there's still too many moving parts here things we have to talk about before we do it.

Q. Are there any drawbacks in your mind as far as especially as a first year manager having WBC and guys who may be in and out of camp?

MATT QUATRARO: Yeah, I think there's some. The continuity just won't be there the whole time. But I think that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those guys that you wouldn't want to take away from them. We'll get through that.

Q. What do you think spring will be like in terms of players adapting to and learning the new rules adjusting to that?

MATT QUATRARO: The new rules?

Q. The new rules. The pitch clock and the defensive shift.

MATT QUATRARO: I think we're going to talk as much as we can about helping them adapt to that. Whether it be shot clocks in the bullpen or during their live BPs, things to simulate it as they get ramped up.

I don't know what to expect from the bases. I've seen them. I don't know whether that's going to be a big factor for them actually just running the bases. It's something we'll have to adapt, just see how that goes.

But I think the pickoff thing is going to be something that I know I need to get comfortable with and how we decide to value those picks and how we can take advantage of it maybe on our side and whether we're running the bases or using pickoffs that's a good thing that I think we're all going to have to adjust to.

Q. Have you all had meetings here, the managers, with regard to the rules?

MATT: That's tomorrow.