The Rockies are bringing former manager Clint Hurdle back to the organization as a special assistant to general manager Bill Schmidt, as Tracy Ringolsby first reported at Inside The Seams. He’ll start his new role Jan. 1, per Ringolsby. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding adds that Hurdle will focus, in particular, on player development.
As is so often the case with Rockies, their latest front-office hire is a key figure who is well known by owner Dick Monfort. Hurdle managed the Rockies from 2002-09, during which time Colorado appeared in its lone World Series (2007). Prior to that, he’d served as the team’s Major League hitting coach and a minor league hitting instructor.
Hurdle’s Rockies couldn’t recapture that 2007 form in 2008, finishing the season with a 74-88 record as they tried to weather injuries to both Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki. After an 18-28 start to the ’09 season, Hurdle was dismissed as the team’s skipper and offered a new role elsewhere in the organization. Ultimately, however, the two sides parted ways. Just two seasons later, Hurdle was managing the Pirates, where he’d serve as skipper from 2011-19 — an even lengthier run than the one he enjoyed in Colorado.
The Athletic’s Nick Groke chatted with Hurdle back in June, gauging the former skipper’s interest to returning to a Rockies organization that was now in transition. Hurdle wouldn’t directly confirm interest from the team or a willingness to return, though he alluded to both in calling Denver a “special place” and noting that there were “only a couple places that I would leave my family and my home to embark on something new.”
Ringolsby notes that Hurdle’s new role will still allow the now-64-year-old former skipper to spend time with his family in addition to his role with the team. He’ll still bring an experienced voice — it’s been more than 45 years since the Royals drafted Hurdle with the No. 9 overall pick in 1975 — to a Rockies front office that has seen a good bit of turnover in recent months.
Jeff Bridich was ousted as general manager early in the season, and assistant GMs Zach Wilson and Jon Weil left the organization not long after. Schmidt, the longtime scouting director in Colorado, was elevated to interim GM and then formally named GM on the penultimate day of the regular season — before the Rockies even had the opportunity to talk with candidates from other organizations.
Clint Hurdle is a good guy, good family man. Hopefully he tells the current Rockies GM, ‘what the hell are you guys doing?’
Before accepting the position, he declined to interview with the Mets.
Nobody can save the Rockies from clown boy Monfort. NOBODY! Ahahahaha!
excellent choice!
Insert GIF of Al Pacino (Godfather III), “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in!”
Hopefully he doesn’t have a heart attack right after though
i thought Clint was hosting The Price Is Right
Insert GIF of Michael Scott correcting Dwight Schrute, “Assistant TO the regional manager”
Good move on the surface but who knows if Monfort and Bridich will heed Hurdle’s advice.
Bridich won’t for sure, he is gonzo. A good hire, but Montfort is going to Montfort.
Even Hurdle can’t help this organization which the first mistake was making Schmidt the GM
Schmidt’s better than Bridich. Baby steps. GM’s not the problem; owner is.
Screw that guy. His players should’ve been playing ball and not throwing at batters and injuring them.
Perhaps the stupidest thing I’ve read all day, and that’s really saying something
T o d-Perhaps,but the posters who say stupid things make the rest of us look that much smarter.
This means he is the next manager when Black resigns or is let go.
Lol rockies
Good for him.
I actually graduated from the same high school – about 15 years after him.
He always came across as a great guy, though I never met him.
Glad to see Rockies embracing their history and taking care of one of the good guys.
some people forget that hurdle was considered an elite prospect. i remember the sports illustrated cover declaring him “this year’s phenom.” some time in the mid 80’s i went to a cubs-mets game at wrigley field and watched him take batting practice. effortless swing, line drive after line drive. prospects will break your heart
It was March of 1978. In KC we knew we were cursed when he graced that cover.
Yes it was the Spring Training issue if
I am remembering right.
Was suppose to be the next Mickey Mantle.
There was so much hype around Hurdle back then. Another in a long line of can’t miss prospects who missed. At the time it seemed he would help take a hugely successful Royals team up even higher. His jump from rookie league in 1975 to AAA in 1977 led to his phenom hype. Unfortunately, his great 1977 AAA performance was more mirage than reality. He had a nice 1980 season but the power never developed and his average backslid. That SI cover story made you think he was really going to be something.
I remember that cover, they were in same division as Angels back then, Hurdle was supposed to be the next Mantle.
Clint is a good guy who has been laying low on the last two years of Nutting’s money.He is probably going to have some leeway on how much time and when he spends it on his new job.Hopefully,he brings enthusiasm to it.He certainly has enough sense to bring professionalism to it.
Clint Hurdle is an outstanding leader & motivator. As a manager, consistently got his players to perform above their talent level. His managing job for the Rockies back in 2007, especially during their incredible 24-1 streak leading up to their WS appearance was the best job of managing I’ve ever seen in a 1 month period of time.
Bud Selig Fan- Nice post
fffbbb if he is more qualified than others for that position than he should have been hired.You should not have to hire someone because of their skin color.That was a stupid racist remark by you.
Bob-Please don’t chastise fff.
He is clearly just too stupid to know better.
As a Rockies fan, I’m curious about the hiring of Clint Hurdle in a Special Assistant role. He’s one of the few who’ve been part of some very exciting and successful runs in Colorado. He was originally hired by the franchise in 1995, and became the Hitting Coach in 1998. He saw the most successful years offensively, and even managed the most successful road seasons of the franchise as well.
What the franchise needs is to be built with a roster that can take advantage of Coors Field offensively, pitch effectively at Coors Field; and dominate the mound on the road, while scoring efficiently on the road.
That means we need to integrate a blended mix of speed, contact, power and elite defense, while building a a power-groundball rotation that continues to keep the ball on the ground.
Our bullpen plain and simple needs to be a power bullpen.
I like Clint. Glad he got another job.
But, player development was probably the thing he was weakest at…?
Clint was afraid to play the rookies. He didn’t even want them on the team. He gave all the bench spots to mediocre veteran. Now he’s in charge of player development? Good luck with that.
Welcome back Sean Rodriguez.
Josh-I agree,but that was more NH’s job to hire the right people to do so,,and the lack thereof cost him his job.
I prefer to remember Clint as the manager who was given a chance to win rather than a guy who was trying to compete with his legs continually being cut off. No manager escapes criticism of strategy now and then, but he always seemed to be a good guy who exuded confidence and a positive approach. Good hire. Hope he does well for the Rockies
Tired-I agree with your comment for the most part.He seemed to lose a lot of enthusiasm though after he got his four year contract but it was probably about the time that he saw the writing on the wall.Small market teams can generally only complete for the playoffs at certain intervals..He was the right hire when it was made though.
The Clint Hurdle Special sounds like a concession item featuring deep fried cheese curds wrapped in bacon.
I thought he did a good job as Manager of The Pirates.
Hey I’m special y no me get job???
Can he get Arenado back?