Renck: Walker Monfort’s first order of Rockies’ business? Demand dad fire GM Bill Schmidt ...Middle East

You can’t Walker before you run.

Just because the Rockies promoted Walker Monfort to executive vice president does not mean that baseball’s worst team is moving in the right direction.

They need to repo the franchise, not a nepo hire.

If the Rockies aspire to mediocrity in five years, then this move makes sense. And when team president Greg Feasel officially exits at season’s end, they will be better for his absence.

But Monfort, who is humble enough to know what he doesn’t know about baseball, will not make a difference without bringing in an outside mentor. The Rockies must hire an external president for baseball operations, a window left open with Walker’s new title (Former Rangers, Twins and Rockies executive Thad Levine should be a candidate).

Walker, remember, has learned under his dad, Dick Monfort, and Feasel. That doesn’t inspire confidence.

You know what would? If the first directive to his father is to fire general manager Bill Schmidt. Feasel’s exit needs to be a domino, not a single tree falling in the forest behind the center field fence at Coors Field.

Everyone knows Schmidt will get canned. The only question is when. All layers of insulation are gone with Feasel on the way out and manager Bud Black pink-slipped. Schmidt has proven he is not good at his job, which extends beyond the record to a roster that features roughly nine to 12 big leaguers on a given night.

The MLB draft and trade deadline remain the two most important days to reshape a franchise. It makes no sense to leave Schmidt in charge of these decisions. He lost that privilege with too many empty early-round picks and letting Jon Gray and Trevor Story walk in free agency.

The Rockies will argue that Schmidt should stay for the draft on July 13 because, unlike good general managers, he immerses himself in the process. That should be left to scouts and their directors, which it is in effective organizations. But Schmidt was forever in charge of the selections and continues to be involved by all accounts.

Keeping him in place empowers the silo thinking that has doomed this franchise (and yes, that is why Walker Monfort’s new title deserves extreme skepticism). Schmidt has whiffed too many times to be in a position of power. He needs to go, and take assistant GM Zack Rosenthal with him.

Scouts surely know Schmidt will get axed, which normally would create freedom to take chances. But if Schmidt stays in the room and on the text chain, it will prevent them from disagreeing or veering from his mindset.

If you want the food to taste differently, you hire a new chef. You don’t sprinkle salt and pepper.

There is nothing to be gained by Schmidt staying, other than Dick Monfort staying loyal for all the wrong reasons.

And the trade deadline on July 31 only strengthens the argument for Schmidt’s dismissal.

He has a history of operating out of fear, afraid to make seismic changes. He is not completely to blame. The Rockies, for years, have cultivated a leadership style of CYA and self-preservation. Better to sit tight and play the victim than take a risk with independent thinking and innovation.

Baseball industry folks insist that Schmidt is serious about making trades this July, looking to ship out Ryan McMahon, German Marquez, Austin Gomber and possibly even Jake Bird. For McMahon, it is a year too late, but he could fetch a decent prospect because of his power and defense. Marquez and Gomber have minimal value and Bird, the Rockies’ best chip, likely will be kept because this is how Schmidt operates (see Daniel Bard, Brent Suter).

So again, why do they need him around?

Schmidt is not in a high-stakes staredown with franchise icons like Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado. He is playing at the penny slot machines. Anyone in pro scouting and baseball operations — ideally, a fresh set of eyes from a consultant — can execute these moves. Heck, a few more teams might call if Danny Montgomery, the assistant GM of scouting, is in charge.

Regardless, Schmidt should not be the one charting the future.

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For all of my criticism of Feasel and Schmidt, Dick Monfort put them in positions where they were not capable of doing the job or challenging authority. This mess is on him more than anyone.

Walker Monfort must take that into consideration. Don’t act like you hit a triple because you were born on third base. This job, more than any other time in franchise history, demands humility and transparency.

Walker has always been open to new ideas. And he has strong opinions. That cannot change now because of his new title. If anything, that part of his part personality must be amplified because the obvious question lingers: Will he become a yes man to his dad like so many before him?

The Rockies finally did something Thursday that almost hints at self-awareness. But this first step off the porch will be another rake in the face without a complete overhaul and Dick Monfort empowering the front office to make decisions without his influence.

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