Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.
Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
Troy Renck has been advocating for the Rockies to bring in an outside evaluator. Recently, he suggested Thad Levine. What would an outside evaluator do, and who are some possible candidates should the Rockies choose to do this? Also, do you think Levine would be a good fit for this?
Thanks!
— Renee, Cody, Wyo.
Renee, not only did Troy suggest the Rockies have an outside evaluator, but I have as well. So has Ryan Spilborghs. I’m not sure if the Rockies will follow our advice (I write this with a wry smile), but I think they should. Whatever they do, they need to look outside the organization for people and ideas.
When I interviewed Walker Monfort after he was promoted to executive vice president, he made it clear that the organization would evaluate “everything.” However, he did not indicate, one way or another, if the Rockies would hire someone from outside to review the organization.
“I think we’re open to whatever it takes to make the Colorado Rockies better,” Monfort said. “But I would say it’s really about maximizing our resources, right? And if we don’t have the right resources in place, we should figure out a way to get the right resources in place. That’s not just from a staffing perspective, it’s really everything.”
If the Rockies did hire someone, such as Levine, to review things, I would imagine they would grade personnel in the front office, baseball operations, the coaching staff and the players. They would see how money is spent throughout the organization and examine the analytics department, which one person in the Rockies organization recently told me is “a decade behind.”
Levine has been mentioned because he spent time with the Rockies from 1999 to 2005 and is regarded as a smart baseball man. Levine might not be just a reviewer; he could be a good fit for GM.
Levine became the assistant general manager of the Rangers in October 2005, then became the Twins GM in November 2016. He spent eight years with the Twins before departing last fall. Levine helped the Twins win three American League Central division titles (2019, 2020, 2023) and make four postseason berths.
I’m not sure who else might be a good fit to evaluate the Rockies. If the Rockies are going to bring in a new GM to replace Bill Schmidt, they need to do it sooner rather than later so the new GM can get a realistic lay of the land.
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If this were a club in most other major cities, the press would be all over the manager and some of his decision-making.
— Fred, Seminole, Fla.
Fred, I get this question a lot. Many fans seem to think that bombarding the manager with “gotcha” questions (as the New York media does) after a game is somehow going to improve the team’s performance, enhance the manager’s management skills, or turn things around.
It doesn’t work that way. For example, after another Rockies’ loss, if I were to ask, ” ‘Schaeff,’ why is Antonio Senzatela still in the starting rotation? He’s been terrible.” I can guarantee you that I would tick Schaeffer off, he wouldn’t give me the answer I was looking for, and it would strain our working relationship. Most managers are not going to throw a player under the bus.
I do ask those kinds of questions, but usually off the record and on background, to get a true sense of the team. I don’t grandstand.
I try not to lob softball questions. For example, I recently asked Schaeffer if he’s frustrated by the team’s continued inability to hit with runners in scoring position. It was a fair question that needed to be asked. His answer, however, was sugar-coated.
Also, keep in mind that The Denver Post no longer travels to cover the Rockies, so I don’t have the opportunity to ask questions after road games.
Patrick, I’m not sure why I’m asking a question about roster construction when there seems to be no rhyme or reason to what the Rox are doing. If there is, please reveal it for us. Why did they option Ryan Feltner? He has arguably been the best starter this season. There are so many more questions, but I’ll go with this one for now. Thanks.
— Ian, Denver
Ian, I was also perplexed about this. At first, I thought it was simply a procedural move as Feltner came off the 60-day injured list. But I reached out to GM Bill Schmidt about it, and he said, “Ryan was optioned to Triple-A to improve. He hasn’t pitched through five innings yet. He needs to improve his efficiency.”
Entering Tuesday, Feltner had made three starts for the Isotopes, pitching a combined 10 2/3 innings. He needs to build back up. Before he went on the IL with his back injury, he was 0-2 with a 4.75 ERA over six starts for the Rockies.
Before the season, I thought Feltner would be Colorado’s best starting pitcher. But like so many other things this season, Feltner’s had a lost season.
What’s the latest on Kris Bryant? Is he ever going to play for the Rockies this season?
— Geoff, Erie
Geoff, Bryant is still around the Rockies’ clubhouse and is getting treatment, though I rarely see him.
Manager Warren Schaeffer recently said that Bryant “wasn’t close” to returning. I don’t think Bryant will play this season, and there’s a chance he may not play baseball again due to his chronic back condition.
My buddy, Thomas Harding of Rockies.com, caught up with Bryant last week, and Bryant told him that he is “seeking ‘experimental’ treatments that can get him to the point he can run, torque and simply return to play.’ ” Harding also reported that exercises and an ablation treatment in May did not provide enough relief for Bryant to make progress toward getting back on the field.
Why the continued excuse of the “unique” problem of playing at altitude? From 1976-1992, the Denver Bears/Zephyrs, with affiliations with different MLB teams, were league champions four times, made it to the finals, but lost four times, and had only four losing records during that span.
Why do those making Rockies’ decisions not admit that this organization has been poor at evaluating, drafting, developing, coaching, and technical analytics and is only good at holding on to players beyond their past due date? Or letting other good players slip away and getting essentially nothing in return? Draft-and-develop has not worked, and no team wins with only great prospects. My hometown team, the Orioles, are a prime example of that this year.
— David Garland, Allenspark
David, I believe there is a question somewhere in there.
I have not studied why the minor league teams won in Denver, while the Rockies have struggled to win with any consistency. I will say that playing baseball — big-league baseball — is different than anywhere else in the majors. If you ask any manager, player, or GM in the game over the last 30 years, they will tell you the same thing. Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland lasted just one year in Colorado.
If you aren’t buying my argument, you should check out the story, “Coors Field horror stories: 30 years of baseball at altitude,” published by ESPN.com in April. It’s pretty convincing.
Here’s a sample:
“Jim Leyland took the job as Rockies manager in 1999 coming off a sustained run of success in Pittsburgh and Miami — and lasted only a year. Buck Showalter managed the opposing Diamondbacks in one of Leyland’s final games in Colorado, and after the game, Leyland told him he was finished. “He said, ‘I’m out of here. You can’t win here.’ He was done,” Showalter recalled over the weekend. “He said, ‘I love the game, I want to manage baseball. This is not baseball.'”
Near the end of that season, Leyland turned to then-first-year general manager O’Dowd and said, ‘Do you have any f—ing idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?’ ”
Now that I have outlined the altitude argument, I will say that there is no excuse for the Rockies’ poor performance over the last three seasons, especially offensively.
In your estimation, will the Rockies win a meager 50 games this season? Or is it a lost cause?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Ed, you well know that this season is a lost cause. As I write this, the Rockies have a 20-71 record and are on pace to finish the season with a 37-125 record. So, no, I don’t think the Rockies will win 50 games. I’ve predicted they’ll finish 47-115.
Shout out to my email buddy, Craig, who gets really angry whenever I write about the Rockies “losing pace.”
When will we see Kyle Karros in Denver? The day after Ryan McMahon is traded to a contender or will it be 2026? Also, I see that Karros is getting the occasional start at first base in Hartford. Do you think he is being considered for that position, since Michael Toglia is struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line?
— John Godfrey, Sebastopol, Calif.
John, I don’t think we’ll see Karros in Denver until next season, but a lot depends on how much the Rockies shake up their roster as the trade deadline approaches. It’s not a sure thing that McMahon gets traded because he’s having a bad season at the plate.
As you are probably aware, Charlie Condon, who was recently promoted to Double-A Hartford, is getting a lot of time at first base. Condon appears to be Toglia’s future replacement if Toglia continues to scuffle. Karros’ future is likely at third base, but we’ll see how things unfold.
Hey Patrick, do you think we’ll see Mickey Moniak in a Rockies uniform after this season? He seems to have had a bit of a career revival since signing with us. Or is he going to be traded off like Ryan McMahon will inevitably be when the trade deadline comes?
— Mark, Arvada
Mark, I don’t see Moniak being a big trade chip, unless he’s part of a package. Then again, if the Rockies trade Moniak, that would open the door for right fielder Zac Veen, who needs to show he’s finally ready for the majors.
Monaik is playing on a one-year deal for just $1.25 million, but he’s still arbitration-eligible, so the Rockies control his near future. The same goes for Tyler Freeman, who’s been playing terrific baseball. Freeman, who will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, is making $775,700 this season.
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