Former Royals exec Taylor reflects on a lifetime in baseball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As Dean Taylor looks back at his 39-year career in baseball, there are two seasons he'll always look back on fondly.

Taylor, who recently stepped down as the Royals' vice president of baseball operations and assistant to the general manager, always will remember the 1991 Atlanta Braves and the 2014 Royals.

And, as Taylor sees it, it's because of the similarities between the two teams.

"Both teams did something unique and something very special," Taylor said by phone. "With Atlanta, it was the worst-to-first accomplishment. With the Royals, it was finally making the playoffs after 29 years.

"Both teams got to Game 7 of the World Series. And what I really find interesting is that both teams picked up fans from everywhere as their seasons went on.

"The Braves had that connection with TBS and fans all over the country really kind of latched on as we kept winning. And, of course, this past season with the Royals, we picked up fans all over the country because of the style of baseball we played. We were a fun team to watch."

Taylor, who was an assistant to Braves general manager John Schuerholz from 1991-99, knows firsthand that the two organizations have been built in similar fashions.

"It was done through scouting, drafting and player development," Taylor said. "That's how the Braves were built and that's certainly how we have been built here."

The Braves morphed into a baseball dynasty, winning eight straight division titles and making the playoffs 14 straight seasons (excluding the 1994 strike-shortened season).

Taylor believes the Royals are constructed for a long string of success as well.

"It's hard for anyone to match what Atlanta did," he said. "But certainly the Royals, thanks to what Dayton (Moore) has been able to build here and thanks to a patient ownership group, are in position to contend.

"We have a solid nucleus here."

And Taylor knows how vital it is for successful organizations to be built from the ground up, starting in the minor leagues. He worked in the minors for four years before landing a job as an administrative assistant for the Royals' minor league operations in 1980.

Taylor later moved into the scouting department before becoming an assistant to then-GM Schuerholz right after the Royals won the 1985 World Series.

After a one-year stint working for commissioner Fay Vincent in 1990, Taylor was reunited with Schuerholz in 1991 in Atlanta.

For the next eight years, Taylor witnessed nothing but winning in Atlanta. And then came his opportunity to rebuild an organization on his own as he was named general manager of the Brewers in 1999.

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Unfortunately, Taylor's four seasons in Milwaukee weren't enough to turn that organization around, although he did plant plenty of seeds, drafting such players as Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart.

"A lot of things have to go right in the rebuilding process," Taylor said. "And you need time and patience."

Such was the case when Moore and Taylor got to Kansas City in 2006. The organization was in the midst of losing 100 games for the third straight season.

"It was going to take time here," Taylor said.

Slowly, Moore and his staff began creating the building blocks for success.

"And you can't necessarily get where you want to go just with scouting and player development," Taylor said. "You also have to fill holes with trades, and Dayton has made some great trades.

"People talk a lot about the James Shields trade, but the one that really got it going was the Zack Greinke trade."

The Greinke trade, in 2010, brought to the Royals from Milwaukee two key components to last season's success -- shortstop Alcides Escobar and center fielder Lorenzo Cain. The trade also landed pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who later was flipped in the Shields trade.

"And let's not forget that we got Wade Davis out of that Shields deal as well and how important Wade has been," Taylor said.

It is also well documented how the addition of Shields helped change the culture in the Royals' clubhouse. Taylor remembers the Braves often talked about their winning culture in the 1990s.

"Tommy Glavine discussed that a lot," Taylor said. "We had some veteran guys like Terry Pendleton, and Glavine referred to that winning culture quite often. It is important."

Even without Shields now, the Royals likely have installed that winning culture for good.

At least that's what Taylor hopes as he transitions away from baseball. He'll still remain a consultant for Moore and the Royals, but Taylor said he plans to spend much more time with his family.

"This is something I discussed with Dayton quite some time ago," Taylor said. "I wanted 2015 to be a transition year into retirement. I've been doing this a long time. It's time to give back to my family.

"Anyone in baseball knows their family has to make a lot of sacrifices. Now it's time to spend more time with my family."

You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.