SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Watching the Royals get back to the postseason last year brought a lot of excitement for Ned Yost, but it also brought a feeling he had never felt before.
Anxiety.
Tuning in from his home instead of in the dugout or at the ballpark like he was used to as a longtime manager and the Royals skipper when they were last in the postseason as 2015 World Series champions opened Yost’s eyes to what it was like to watch a team as a fan in the biggest moments of the season.
He didn’t like it too much.
“What happened was, I was going about my retired life, loving it,” Yost said Thursday at the Royals’ Spring Training complex. “... Going through the year, it was fun watching them, and when we got to the playoffs, all of a sudden, everything kind of changed. The two games against Baltimore [in the American League Wild Card Series] were good, but I started feeling a lot of anxiety during that time. I mean, anxiety that I’ve never felt before.
“And I finally understood what it was like to be a fan. Like, ‘Gosh, this is what fans feel.’ And then the Yankees series [in the AL Division Series] was horrible for me. I was pulling so hard that at the end of the game, I’d have to go stand in the shower for a half-hour just to try to calm down.”
Yost didn’t want to feel that again, and he also knew he could help the Royals take the next step from a postseason appearance to a deep October run. So he spoke with general manager J.J. Picollo about a role with Kansas City, and the Royals announced earlier this week that Yost is returning as senior advisor to the GM.
He’s swapping out his uniform for the typical front office attire, down to the polo shirt and quarter-zip jacket. And he’s excited about being around baseball again.
“Just getting used to seeing the names again,” Yost said about his first couple of days in Surprise. “I’ve got a lot of admiration for [manager] Matt [Quatraro] and the coaching staff. I think what J.J. has done in this organization has been great. And right now I’m just watching, paying attention and seeing areas that I can make an impact in.”
Yost is the winningest manager in Royals history and was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 2023. He was the Royals manager when they won the 2014 AL pennant and the 2015 World Series and led them to a 22-9 postseason record for a .710 win percentage, setting a Major League record (min. 20 games).
Yost was named Royals manager on May 13, 2010 and retired after the 2019 season as the all-time leader in managerial wins (746). In 2015, he guided the Royals through another deep postseason run, beating Houston in the ALDS (3-2), Toronto in the ALCS (4-2) and the Mets in the World Series (4-1) for the Royals second World Series title.
Including six seasons with Milwaukee from 2003-08, Yost finished his career 32nd all-time in games managed with 2,544, three more than Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver.
Now as part of the front office, Yost will help Picollo and Quatraro with whatever they need in Kansas City or around the Minor Leagues. He plans on being in Surprise for the entire six weeks of Spring Training and then will spend several days a month at affiliates watching players.
“He’s been as selfless as you would expect,” Quatraro said. “I think that fits in perfectly with the theme here, the culture, understanding that he just wants to help. Being here and being able to help me, give advice, watch the players, talk to the coaches -- he is in no way trying to insert himself in a spot where he hasn’t been, but he’s just got a ton of knowledge, and he can help us in a lot of ways.”
And if the Royals are able to win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yost wants to make sure he’s a part of it -- not watching on TV.
“When you’re in it, I would be at the ballpark at 8:30 in the morning and I’d leave at midnight, and you worked hard all day, and you knew at the end of the day that you’d done everything that you could do,” Yost said. “But when you’re a fan, there’s nothing you can do. … This was the first time I really felt that I was helpless. And I’m like, ‘I’m not going through that again.’ I can definitely help.”