KANSAS CITY -- If there was a Most Valuable Player Award for an instant replay coordinator, the Royals' Bill Duplissea would be marching toward becoming a repeat winner.
Duplissea was the best in the Majors in 2016 -- successful on 27 of 39 challenges (69 percent). The Mets finished second at 67 percent.
This season, Duplissea is 5-for-5.
Royals manager Ned Yost said he has no doubt Duplissea is the best in the game.
"I think it starts with the communication we all have," Yost said. "It's the trust he has to do his job. He has the freedom to be daring and make the right call. He was the best in the business last year.
"It's a relatively new job, but he took to it right away."
When a close call is made on the field, bench coach Don Wakamatsu immediately picks up the dugout phone and calls Duplissea in the video room. Yost then waits for a thumbs up or down from Wakamatsu.
"With the new rules, it's a little more hectic because you got only 30 seconds," Yost said. "There are times that the 30 seconds feels like an hour. I'll be going, 'You got 10 seconds. You got seven seconds.' But he gets it right."