The All-Star game is over and we are now face-to-face with two consecutive crestfallen days. It’s fertile ground for rumors to be generated and spread, as there is very little baseball news. A lot of teams won’t make any decisions over the All-Star break because they’ll want to wait and see how the team reacts to the extended rest during the break. If the Rockies fail to start the second half of the season with a bang, expect the rumors surrounding players like Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, Jorge De La Rosa and the bullpen arms.
On the Rox Podcast Episode 7 - On the Hot Seat | Denver Post
Nick Groke and Patrick Saunders discuss Walt Weiss and future with the Rockies. Weiss is not under contract after this season, and there appears to be no talk of one coming during this season. It is extremely rare for a manager to manage in the last season of the contract in today’s game, as most teams and managers feels that the lame-duck status keeps the manager from being effective.
The podcast revealed a couple of key pieces of information regarding Weiss’s decision to pull Jon Gray in his last start before the season. Most notably, the move was influenced by the sore ankle Gray got after his stumble going into third base on DJ’s attempted sacrifice bunt earlier in the game.
Personally this is feeling more and more like a circus. Every time Weiss is asked about why he pulled Gray the answer is changing. First, it was because he didn’t want him to take the loss. Next, it was because he saw something in his delivery that made him think he was running out of gas. Now, it’s due to a previously unrevealed injury.
The podcast left untouched the fact that that ankle soreness was due to another of Weiss’s questionable decisions to bunt with a position player—a decision that effectively neutered what had the makings of a big inning. This shouldn’t be overlooked. The Rockies are once again leading the NL in position player sacrifice bunts and are on pace to demolish their previous high under Weiss’s leadership.
Over the previous three years, the Rockies have trended downwards in the number of position player sacrifice bunts, which was seen as a positive sign in Weiss’s development as a manager. This year, all those gains have been lost, as Weiss is making terrible decisions at an all-time high for him.
Secondly, Saunders revealed that there are players who wish Weiss was tougher on players. This has been discussed before, and it has seemed that there has been zero response and correction when players make boneheaded mistakes. Unfortunately, that has resulted in players continuing to repeat those same mistakes and not adjusting. Weiss might be an effective manager in a different context, but he sure does not look like the right person for this team.
Old friend Benjamin Hochman joins Groke for the second half of the podcast to discuss possible Rockies–Cardinals trade possibilities, so be sure to check it out.
Rockies first-half review | Purple Row
With the first half of the season behind us, Bryan Kilpatrick compares the results to what expectations where before the season began. There will be more about the state of the Rockies at mid-season today, as well as mid-season reviews for the Isotopes and Yard Goats. Stay tuned.
Cargo, Arenado and NL fall to AL, 4-2 | Purple Row
CarGo participated in some shenanigans and Arenado grounded into a sad game-ending double play.