Before I get going on the meat and potatoes of this article, let me say this:
None of my views on this matter are a direct shot at the work or character of interim GM Bill Schmidt or any other current Rockies employee who might be in consideration for the job at the end of the 2021 season.
Now that we have that out of the way, I can get to the thesis of this piece.
The Rockies absolutely need their next general manager to come from outside the organization.
This sentiment is not new or an original thought I’ve conjured up. The consensus in the Rockies universe is that owner Dick Monfort and new team president Greg Feasel will do just that. While it’s very possible Schmidt performs adequately in his time in the role, and he certainly has “aspirations of having the job full time,” the team can’t afford to hire a long-term member from within the organization to take on the colossal job ahead.
I would once again like to emphasize; this has nothing to do with Bill Schmidt.
Regardless, the relationship between the team’s fan base and the organization is frosty at best. Perhaps it has slightly improved following Jeff Bridich’s departure, but Dick Monfort is still at the helm, and it’s no secret that many fans consider him the villain, with Bridich serving as his puppet during his tenure.
And it’s not just fans.
Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado’s issues with management are well documented. Even if the Rockies were aggressively courting Trevor Story to sign a long-term deal in Colorado – it doesn’t seem like they are – it’s easy to see from past experiences why he might be wary of that, even without Bridich in charge. It’s past rifts like these that have formed a black cloud over the Rockies, one that has seemingly sunk into departments across the organization (see: an organization depleting the analytics department while the rest of the league moves in the opposite direction).
The result? A team in desperate need of a fresh face.
It’s clear through 31 games this season that this team is not built to compete soon. Schmidt is stuck handling Trevor Story and Jon Gray’s impending free-agencies, but all other moves post 2021 — whether you want to call them a rebuild or not — need to be executed by someone with no Rockies affiliation.
Whoever takes on the position is facing an uphill battle. Based on division opponents alone, the Rockies have it tough: You’ve got the heavy-hitting Dodgers, the up-and-coming Padres, a surprising Giants team, and a Diamondbacks team currently hanging around the .500 mark. Then there’s the relatively shallow prospect pool, the frustrated fan base, and the not-changing anytime soon ‘altitude situation.’ These very factors make it paramount that the Rockies don’t hire internally for the role. With so many signs pointing towards the Rockies struggling for the foreseeable future, an exciting GM with new ideas, a fresh attitude, and no team affiliation is needed to give players and fans alike something to look forward to.
There’s only one thing I want more than Bill Schmidt having a successful run as interim general manager for the Rockies: someone else to take the reins from him at the end of the season and guide this team forward. Through no fault of his own, Schmidt isn’t the right man for the job long-term. It’s just the way it is at this point.
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Rockies 6, Giants 5: Another six run inning gives the Rockies the series win | Purple Row
Back-to-back games with six run innings is a great sign for this offense which has certainly struggled at times this year. Charlie Blackmon continues to mash, driving in the first two runs of the inning which, at the time, tied the ballgame.
On the mound Jon Gray settled in after giving up a two-run home-run to Brandon Crawford in the second inning. He even drove in one of the runs in the 6th to help himself on his way to a fourth win on the season.
Daniel Bard had us sweating a little (a lot) in the ninth when he walked the first two Giants to come to the plate, one of whom came around to score on a Dom Nuñez throw that went awry. Either way the Rockies came away with a win on the day and a win in the series.
Schmidt spoke to the media before yesterday’s win over the Giants and gave a peak into how he’s approaching his new gig.
Arguably the most pressing thing for Rockies fans is the future of Trevor Story and Jon Gray. Schmidt didn’t give a whole lot for us to go off claiming it “is not the appropriate time” to be talking about their futures. As an anxious fan I’d wish that wasn’t the case, but I understand where he’s coming from. Following the example set by his superiors, Schmidt also refused to say the Rockies were in need of a rebuild. Once again, not a surprising answer, but a disappointing one at that.
Bud Black took his turn in front of the media before Schmidt and gave updates on injuries, line-up changes, and the taxi squad. The injury news was quite positive with Almonte, Freeland, and Rodgers all participating in simulated games this past week. Check out the above article to get all the details.
On the farm
The Yard Goats taking on the Flying Squirrels? I mean you just can’t get better than that in the name department. Unfortunately the result didn’t go the way of the boys from Hartford, but Coco Montes went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored so it wasn’t all bad. The Yard Goats fell after winning their first game of the season.
The Spokane Indians, now the Rockies High-A club fell to the Eugene Emeralds by a tally of 8-6, while the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies managed to grab the farm’s lone win on the day with a 10-4 offensive explosion over the San Jose Giants. The Rockies’ two lower affiliates have started the season going opposite ways with the Indians record sitting at 0-2 and the Grizzlies at 2-0.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 4, Richmond Flying Squirrels 6
High-A: Eugene Emeralds 8, Spokane Indians 6
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, San Jose Giants 4
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