In the same press release announcing that General Manager Jeff Bridich was resigning from the organization, the Colorado Rockies have announced they have named Greg Feasel as the Club President in wake of the front office shakeup.
Feasel has been with the Rockies organization since 1996 and currently serves as the team’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, a role he was appointed to in 2012. Upon quick glance, Feasel, a former NFL offensive lineman, does not appear to have much in known baseball acumen apart from being with the team for 24 years. His background outside of professional sports is in business and education, according to his team biography. Feasel has strong ties to downtown Denver, and serves on several advisory boards for civic ventures and tourism for the city.
This is a notable move, as the Rockies have not had an official Club President since the death of Keli McGregor in 2010. McGregor—one of the architects behind the original Rocktober in 2007—was never replaced, and team owner oDick Monfort assumed the duties of the Club President following his passing.
Monfort’s reign as the team’s President was not without controversy, with The Athletic describing him as overly involved in baseball operations despite lacking the baseball knowledge to perform the role effectively. This does raise some concerns about Feasel’s lack of a background in the sport, but remember that Keli McGregor also had no baseball background. McGregor served as a coach and administrative assistant for the University of Florida’s football program and was an associate athletic director for the University of Arkansas before he joined the Rockies in 1993.
Through his parting statement, now former General Manager Jeff Bridich stated Feasel was involved in the discussions that lead to him and the team parting ways. Bridich said that “ushering in a new leadership structure is critically important,” alluding to Feasel’s new importance within the baseball operations side of the organization, He goes on to show confidence in Dick Monfort’s “clear vision” for the future of the organization.
It remains to be seen how this reorganization in the Rockies’ front office will play out, especially since a new permanent General Manager will not be appointed until after the 2021 season and the interim GM has yet to be named. What does this mean for manager Bud Black, or the roster’s impending free agents Trevor Story and Jon Gray? It’s also unknown if Feasel’s appointment is even permanent, or if the Rockies will search for an outside candidate after the season. However, at least in the short term, Rockies fans can be hopeful that the team is finally making moves in the right direction.