Bob Boone was hired as manager of the Kansas City Royals Friday.
Boone, a catcher in the major leagues for 18 seasons, signed a two-year deal. He replaced Hal McRae, fired the day after the rest of the strike-interrupted season was called off by the club owners."It's been a dream that I had ever since I got to the major leagues to be a manager," Boone said. "Every game I would look at what happened and ask myself what would I do in that situation."
The announcement was made Friday at a Kauffman Stadium news conference by Royals president and general manager Herk Robinson, who called Boone a "natural born leader."
The Royals hope to cut their $40 million payroll and embark on a youth movement next season by relying heavily on their minor-league prospects.
Robinson said earlier the Royals needed a manager with better communication skills than the volatile McRae. McRae became known for an incident in his office two years ago in which a sports writer was struck by a thrown object and another tirade this year in which he called Royals fans stupid for questioning a pitching change.
McRae is a traditional baseball person whose relationships with a new breed of players did not always work.
Boone, a bench coach with the Cincinnati Reds, finished his career with the Royals in 1990 after playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and California Angels.