Dodgers News: Coach Clayton McCullough Could Be Leaving LA for Kansas City
After the 2020 season, Dodgers first-base coach George Lombard left the organization to take a job as bench coach for Tigers manager AJ Hinch. Lombard was replaced in the coaching box by Clayton McCullough, who had spent the previous few years as the organization’s Minor League Field Coordinator.
Two years later, Los Angeles might have to find another new first-base coach, as McCullough might be off to bigger and better things.
Sources: #Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough has interviewed with the #Royals for their managerial vacancy and is among the finalists there. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 26, 2022
It’s not McCullough’s first time interviewing for a big-league managerial job, as The Athletic‘s Fabian Ardaya points out.
This isn't his first-ever managerial interview. McCullough had interviewed for the Mets job last winter. He spoke a bit about that process here: https://t.co/6UjxPHiuYo
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) October 26, 2022
Before coming to the Dodgers organization, McCullough was a minor-league manager for seven years with the Blue Jays. McCullough’s teams compiled a 402-367 record across all four levels below Double-A.
As a player, McCullough was a catcher who made it to the minors but was never able to find much success. He had 334 minor-league plate appearances, 319 of them in High-A or lower. Overall, he batted .197 with a .555 OPS in four seasons, and then his playing career was done. After his playing career was done, he spent one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater, East Carolina University, before beginning his pro coaching career in the Blue Jays system.
The Royals manager position is open for just the second time in over a decade. Ned Yost took over midway through the 2010 season and stayed through 2019. Former Cardinals manager Mike Matheny took over for Yost and went 165-219 in three seasons at the helm. Kansas City fired Matheny when the 2022 season ended.
The Royals lost the World Series in 2014 and won it in 2015, but those are their only two postseason appearances in the last 37 years. They’ll be looking for a manager who can help turn things around for a once-proud franchise.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
