Rockies Rumors

Rockies, Diamondbacks To Interview Don Wakamatsu

By Connor Byrne | October 30, 2016 at 12:19pm CDT

Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu is set to interview for both the Rockies’ and Diamondbacks’ managerial positions, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman.

The 53-year-old Wakamatsu has previous experience as a major league skipper, having served in that role with the Mariners from 2009-10. Seattle went 85-77 under Wakamatsu in his first year at the helm, but the club fired him in August 2010 after spiraling to a 42-70 mark. Wakamatsu then worked for both the Blue Jays and Yankees before joining Royals manager Ned Yost’s staff in 2014.

Wakamatsu is the latest of several names connected to Colorado’s job, which the club has been looking to fill since parting with Walt Weiss earlier this month. Heyman reported Saturday that Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez are likely to interview with the Rockies after the World Series. The team also has a meeting planned with Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach, and former Padres manager Bud Black, ex-Astros skipper Brad Mills and Rockies Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill are on the radar.

Arizona, meanwhile, has already booked an interview for the upcoming week with broadcaster and former major leaguer Alex Cora. He and Wakamatsu could end up in a five- to seven-candidate race as new general manager Mike Hazen searches for a successor to Chip Hale. Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, whom Hazen knows from his time as Boston’s assistant GM, is the favorite to land the job.

Rockies Likely To Interview Dave Martinez, Sandy Alomar Jr.

By Connor Byrne | October 30, 2016 at 8:45am CDT

Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed optimism about negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this month, and players’ association executive director Tony Clark did the same Saturday, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. “I’ve always been a glass half-full guy. We continue to work. We continue to go through the issues,” said Clark, who didn’t reveal if the draft-pick compensation attached to the qualifying offer will remain the same in the next CBA. In the current agreement that’s set to expire in December, a team receives a first-round pick if it issues a QO to an impending free agent and he then signs elsewhere.

Rockies To Interview Tim Wallach For Managerial Opening

By Jeff Todd | October 25, 2016 at 12:43pm CDT

The Rockies will interview Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach for the team’s open managerial job, according to reports from Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter links) and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami has already granted permission for the sides to speak.

Wallach, 59, has long been the right-hand man of Marlins’ skipper Don Mattingly, dating back to when both led the Dodgers’ dugout. He served as the third base coach and then bench coach in Los Angeles before following Mattingly to Miami. Long before that, Wallach enjoyed a productive, 17-year MLB career as a corner infielder — most notably with the Expos.

Last we checked in on the Rockies’ managerial search, the team was continuing to expand its list of potential candidates. A wide variety of names have been mentioned, many with experience leading a dugout — or, if not, then plenty of time spent in senior coaching positions. GM Jeff Bridich is looking to hire a skipper for the first time after the team parted ways with Walt Weiss (who was hired by predecessor Dan O’Dowd) over the winter.

As things stand, the Rockies are competing only with the division-rival Diamondbacks on the managerial market. All other major league teams appear to be content with their current options.

Miami is already looking to add a third base coach after declining to renew the contract of Lenny Harris this offseason. Former Marlins and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has been in talks with the Fish about that post for several weeks, and Frisaro reports that he’s now “a clear front-runner” to take the job.

Latest On The Rockies

By Mark Polishuk | October 22, 2016 at 10:36am CDT

The Rockies’ managerial search is discussed by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post as part of his own reader maibag. Saunders feels the team’s new skipper should come from outside the organization in order to bring a fresh perspective. It seems like Colorado is more apt to hire a manager who leans more towards the front office’s analytical mindset. Former manager Walt Weiss “embraced the statistics and analytics to a large degree,” though ultimately preferred to rely on gut-level calls and felt he was being interfered with by the front office. The well-documented discord between Weiss and GM Jeff Bridich also didn’t help things, as you might expect.

West Notes: Hill, Dodgers, Baldoquin, Rangers’ Park, Rockies Catchers

By Jeff Todd | October 19, 2016 at 12:30pm CDT

Dodgers lefty Rich Hill is one of the more unique players we’ll ever see, and it’s his unfathomable transactional path that makes his current performance all the more amazing. SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee pens an interesting piece in honor of a hurler whose success nobody saw coming when he was suiting up for the Long Island Ducks last year. Hill just carved up the Cubs last night in game three of the NLCS, striking out six and allowing two hits and no runs over a half-dozen frames. That outing bolsters an already-intriguing free agent resume for the 36-year-old.

Here’s more from out west:

The Dodgers represent a unique compilation of talent, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. Los Angeles managed to cover for an unbelievable number of injuries — though, to be fair, at least some were anticipated given the team’s risky investments (Hill included) — and still managed to take the NL West. Despite near-constant change in the major league roster and its in-game deployment, the club has thrived and seemingly hit its stride at the right time.
Across town, the Angels are holding out at least some hope for infielder Roberto Baldoquin despite two forgettable campaigns, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Injuries have kept him off the field and limited his developmental opportunities, though Fletcher notes that conditioning may be partially to blame. Certainly, what the team has seen hasn’t been promising. The 22-year-old, who signed on for an $8MM bonus that nearly doubled with penalties and restricted the organization’s international spending, has stalled out at High-A with a composite .219/.269/.267 batting line over the last two years. But the Halos developmental staff says that Baldoquin works hard, with coaches suggesting that he has at least shown enough in the field to warrant the continued investment of resources into his future.
While the Rangers and the City of Arlington have maintained that the costs of their new stadium project will be split evenly, WFAA-TV has found several factors which significantly complicate that characterization. Following up on a prior report that suggests tax revenues may be diverted to the team, shifting the burden away from the Rangers and onto the city’s taxpayers, the most recent report outlines other significant ways in which anticipated revenue will flow to the club’s coffers. Stadium naming rights and seat licenses — both highly valuable commodities — would flow to the club despite the fact that the city is set to own the ballpark itself. In the aggregate, the news station assesses the split in real costs at about $1.675 billion for the city (including interest on a bond issue to fund it) versus $500MM for the team. These revelations, which are disputed by Arlington mayor Jeff Williams, come as voting polls show a tight split in opinion on the upcoming referendum. (For opposing viewpoints, see here and here for just a few examples.)
One major question for the Rockies this winter is how to handle the catching position, as Thomas Harding of MLB.com covers in response to a reader question. Colorado does see improvement in the glovework of Tom Murphy, but at present there’s a gulf between his pitch framing ability and that of incumbent part-timer Tony Wolters. Of course, free agent-to-be Nick Hundley does not excel in that area either, which perhaps suggests the team will be willing to move on from him this winter.

Rule 5 Roundup

By Jeff Todd | October 18, 2016 at 8:08am CDT

We’re just a few months away from this winter’s Rule 5 draft, so it makes sense to take a look back and see how things shook out from the 2015 selections. Several organizations found useful players, even if the most recent class didn’t include an Odubel Herrera-esque breakout sensation. Some of the most recent draftees have probably locked up MLB jobs again for 2017, though others who stuck on a major league roster all year may head back to the minors for further development. (Once a player’s permanent control rights have been secured, his new organization is free to utilize optional assignments as usual for future years.)

Here’s a roundup of the 2015 draft class with the 2016 season in the books:

Keepers

Tyler Goeddel, OF, kept by Phillies from Rays: The 23-year-old struggled with the aggressive move to the big leagues, carrying a .192/.258/.291 batting line in 234 trips to the plate, but showed enough for the rebuilding Phillies to hold onto him all year long.
Luis Perdomo, RHP, kept by Padres (via Rockies) from Cardinals: It didn’t look good early for Perdomo, but he showed better after moving to the rotation and ended with a rather promising 4.85 ERA over twenty starts. Though he struggled to contain the long ball, and only struck out 6.4 per nine, Perdomo sported a nifty 59.0% groundball rate on the year.
Joey Rickard, OF, kept by Orioles from Rays: After opening the year with a bang, Rickard faded to a .268/.319/.377 batting line on the year but held his roster spot in Baltimore. He ended the season on the DL with a thumb injury, though, and may end up at Triple-A for some added seasoning.
Joe Biagini, RHP, kept by Blue Jays from Giants: The only Rule 5 pick to appear in the postseason, Biagini was a great find for Toronto. He ended with 67 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching, with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and now looks like a potential fixture in the Jays’ relief corps.
Matthew Bowman, RHP, kept by Cardinals from Mets: Bowman rounds out a trio of impressive relievers. He contributed 67 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 6.9 BB/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go with a monster 61.7% groundball rate.

Retained By Other Means

Deolis Guerra, RHP, re-signed by Angels (who selected him from Pirates) after being outrighted: Guerra was in an unusual spot since he had previously been outrighted off of the Bucs’ 40-man roster when he was selected, meaning he didn’t need to be offered back. Los Angeles removed him from the major league roster and then brought him back on a minor league deal, ultimately selecting his contract. Though he was later designated and outrighted by the Halos, Guerra again returned and largely thrived at the major league level, contributing 53 1/3 much-needed pen frames with a 3.21 ERA on the back of 6.1 K/9 against just 1.2 BB/9.
Jabari Blash, OF, acquired by Padres (who acquired Rule 5 rights from Athletics) from Mariners: Blash’s intriguing tools weren’t quite ready for the majors, but San Diego struck a deal to hold onto him and was surely impressed with his showing at Triple-A. In his 229 plate appearances there, Blash swatted 11 home runs but — more importantly — carried a .415 OBP with a much-improved 66:41 K/BB ratio.
Ji-Man Choi, 1B, outrighted by Angels after Orioles declined return: The 25-year-old scuffled in the bigs but was rather impressive at the highest level of the minors, where he walked nearly as often as he struck out and put up a .346/.434/.527 slash with five home runs in 227 plate appearances.

Returned

Jake Cave, OF, returned from Reds to Yankees: After failing to crack Cinci’s roster out of camp, Cave impressed at Double-A but slowed at the highest level of the minors (.261/.323/.401 in 354 plate appearances) upon his return to the New York organization.
Evan Rutckyj, LHP, returned from Braves to Yankees: Sent back late in camp, the 24-year-old struggled in limited action on the Yanks’ farm after missing most of the season with elbow issues.
Josh Martin, RHP, returned from Padres to Indians: In his first attempt at Triple-A, Martin posted 66 frames of 3.55 ERA pitching with 8.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
Daniel Stumpf, LHP, returned from Phillies to Royals: Slowed by a PED suspension, Stumpf was bombed in a brief MLB stint with the Phils but dominated at Double-A upon his return to K.C., posting a 2.11 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings.
Chris O’Grady, LHP, returned from Reds to Angels: Sent back in late March, O’Grady compiled a 3.48 ERA over 95 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he performed much better as a Double-A starter than he did as a Triple-A reliever.
Zack Jones, RHP, returned from Brewers to Twins: The 25-year-old was out with a shoulder injury for most of the year, and ended up being sent back to Minnesota in late June, but has shown swing-and-miss stuff when healthy.
Blake Smith, RHP, returned from Padres to White Sox: Smith ended up making a brief MLB debut upon his return to Chicago, but spend most of the year pitching well at Triple-A Charlotte, where he ran up a 3.53 ERA in 71 1/3 innings with 9.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.
Colin Walsh, INF, returned from Brewers to Athletics: After struggling badly in his major league stint with the Brewers, Walsh went to Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate and put up a .259/.384/.388 bating line over 245 plate appearances.

Saunders: Rockies Should Start Spending

By charliewilmoth | October 15, 2016 at 10:22am CDT

It’s time for the Rockies to start spending heavily in hopes of making a playoff push, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Saunders cites Olney, who notes the recent correlation between spending and winning, with the Indians being the only team with a below-median payroll to make the playoffs. Whether some of Saunders’ proposed moves would actually propel the Rockies to the postseason is debatable — he suggests, for example, that the Rockies ought to consider sending Charlie Blackmon to St. Louis for Matt Adams and Trevor Rosenthal, should such a deal be offered. Adams’ power would likely play well at Coors Field, but the Rockies would sorely miss Blackmon, who joined Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu as one of the team’s best players in 2016.

Bo Porter Among Additional Possible Rockies Managerial Candidates

By Jeff Todd | October 14, 2016 at 7:38pm CDT

Former Astros skipper and current Braves special assistant Bo Porter is receiving at least some consideration for the Rockies’ open managerial position, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. The report identifies a number of other possibilities on a growing list of names who appear to be on Colorado’s radar.

Another former Astros’ manager, current Indians bench coach Brad Mills, has also come up. His Cleveland staff mate, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., is another name to watch. Obviously, neither of those possible candidates can be pursued in earnest at present, with the Indians just opening play in the ALCS.

Two other bench coaches who could draw interest from the Rockies are Dave Martinez of the Cubs, who also is busy with his current position, and Ron Wotus of the Giants. We heard earlier today that Wotus had received contact from a team with a managerial opening. Given that the Diamondbacks — the other team with an opening — haven’t yet resolved their front office situation, it seems reasonable to suspect that it was the Rockies who came calling.

Today’s report significantly expands the group of names tied in some way to the Rockies’ top dugout post. Last we checked in, the scuttlebutt was that former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke (most recently of the Angels), former Padres manager Bud Black (ditto), Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, Braves first base coach Eddie Perez, and Rockies Triple-A skipper Glenallen Hill had some form of connection to the gig — though in some cases, the reporting involved interest on their behalf rather than the team’s.

All told, that slate largely represents a “who’s who” of skippers-to-be around the game. Those that haven’t yet taken managerial jobs at the major league level have at least interviewed for jobs with other organizations.

Still, the Rockies aren’t just looking to plug in an experienced hand. According to Harding, Colorado hopes to find someone “who will apply statistics and other research into managing and coaching, and who are adept at various methods for creating team chemistry.” In that regard, certainly, the organization seems to be participating in a near-universal trend leaguewide.

Latest On Rockies’ Managerial Search

By Jeff Todd | October 13, 2016 at 1:07pm CDT

The Rockies are officially looking to fill their open managerial position after parting ways with skipper Walt Weiss. While the organization is holding its cards close to the vest, here’s the latest reporting on that effort:

Former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke is also interested in the position, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Since losing his post with Milwaukee, Roenicke has served as the third base coach for the Dodgers and then the Angels.

Earlier Updates

Colorado will leave a few staff positions open for a new dugout head after announcing several changes to the club’s coaching staff yesterday (via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding). Pitching coach Steve Foster, pen coach Darren Holmes, and third base coach Stu Cole will return. But the team will be hiring elsewhere after cutting ties with bench coach Tom Runnells, hitting coach Blake Doyle, catching and defensive positioning coach Rene Lachemann, and baserunning, outfield, and first base coach Eric Young.
Former Padres manager Bud Black says he’s interested in Colorado’s job after missing out on the Braves’ opening, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Black, who has long been considered one of the top managerial free agents and nearly joined the Nationals last year, has served most recently as an adviser in the Angels’ front office. It’s not yet clear whether Black is seen as an option from within the Rockies’ organization, but he has drawn at least some consideration in virtually every managerial search since he left San Diego.
Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo has long been talked about as a possible managerial candidate, and he once again fits that profile with John Farrell set to remain in command of the team in 2017. As of yet, no rival organizations have asked Boston for permission to speak with Lovullo, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. But it seems reasonable to expect at least one team to take a look. The Rockies may not yet have sought to chat with Lovullo, but Bradford cites sources who indicate that the club has “been asking around about” him. (The Diamondbacks, too, are in need of a skipper but must first sort out its front office.)
We’ve already heard a few hints of other possibilities. GM Jeff Bridich has acknowledged that Triple-A skipper Glenallen Hill is under consideration. The long-time big leaguer is held in high regard by the Colorado organization, per Bridich, who’ll be hiring his first manager after inheriting Weiss when he was promoted. Braves first base coach Eddie Perez has also drawn interest from the Rox, per a report.

Rockies Outright Christian Bergman, Justin Miller

By Steve Adams | October 12, 2016 at 7:25pm CDT

The Rockies announced today that right-handers Christian Bergman and Justin Miller have been outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque, thereby clearing a pair of spots on their 40-man roster, which now sits at 38.

Bergman, 28, pitched part of his third season with the Rockies this season, logging 24 2/3 innings but struggling to an 8.39 ERA in that time. His peripheral stats were a bit more encouraging, though, as Bergman struck out 22 batters against just six walks with a 37.1 percent ground-ball rate. He was plagued by a .381 BABIP and by the fact that a sky-high 20 percent of his fly-balls turned into home runs, with seven long balls clearing the fence against him overall. That figure seems like an anomaly, especially considering a more standard 10 percent homer-to-fly ball rate in his two previous seasons. Overall, Bergman has a 5.79 ERA in 147 2/3 innings, though a 4.51 xFIP and 4.43 SIERA give some hope for future improvement.

The 29-year-old Miller, meanwhile, tallied an even more substantial amount of time in the Rockies’ bullpen, tossing 42 2/3 innings, though he too had difficulty, as evidenced by his 5.70 ERA. Miller, though, averaged 93.1 mph on his fastball and punched out 45 batters in his 42 2/3 innings of work, though his control (4.2 BB/9) took a step back from a solid 2015 season that saw him post a 4.05 ERA (3.22 xFIP, 2.84 SIERA) in 33 1/3 innings. The majority of Miller’s struggles came when pitching at Coors Field this season, as he posted a 7.40 ERA at home against a 4.09 ERA on the road. His overall numbers in the Majors don’t stand out, but he’s shown a knack for missing bats at both the Major League and minor league level throughout his career.

Both Bergman and Miller can elect free agency in lieu of this outright assignment, so either could be attractive to other clubs on minor league pacts. Bergman has spent most of his minor league career starting, so he could be a rotation depth piece for a club in a thin free-agent market. Miller, on the other hand, has never made a start in the Majors or minors since being selected in the 16th round of the 2008 draft by the Rangers.

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