Kris Bryant

The Rockies are 8-24 over the season’s first 32 games, ahead of only the White Sox (6-26) in the overall league standings.  Even with five months remaining on the schedule, a turn-around doesn’t seem too likely, as Colorado did very little to improve last season’s 103-loss roster and was widely expected to again post one of baseball’s worst records.

Even amidst this dire beginning to the season, general manager Bill Schmidt still believes that “good things are going to happen” at Coors Field.  In an interview with Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Schmidt discussed several topics related to the Rockies’ poor start, but cited “the inconsistency of our offense” as the main problem.

“We have been in a lot of games, but we haven’t figured out how to win those games….But at the end of the day, we haven’t gotten the big hit to put us ahead, to get us back into the game, to win a game.  For me, it comes back to our offense and our lack of execution,” Schmidt said.  When asked by Saunders whether the Rockies’ approach to hitting was an issue, Schmidt said “it’s not about our strategy….Our guys care, and they are trying hard, but they have to be more disciplined.  [Hitting coach Hensley Meulens] and those guys talk about that all the time. They talk about the strike zone and being patient.  The work ethic is great.  Guys are trying, but at the end of the day, guys aren’t getting it done.”

Colorado ranks 24th of 30 teams in runs scored (120), 26th in home runs (25), and 28th (78th) in wRC+.  The Rox haven’t been gotten the traditional benefit from the thin air of Coors Field, as they rank last in the majors in home wRC+, with only a 74 number.  As Schmidt noted, players like Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones, and Brendan Rodgers were expected to be key parts in the lineup but they’ve all struggled to date, and Bryant and Jones are currently on the injured list.

A lower back strain has kept Bryant out of action since mid-April, continuing the former NL MVP’s run of injuries since signing a seven-year, $182MM free agent deal with Colorado during the 2021-22 offseason.  Schmidt said that there isn’t yet a timetable for Bryant’s rehab or when he might return to the lineup, but “he’s feeling better” and “is starting to do baseball activities.”

While Schmidt isn’t wrong that the lineup hasn’t produced, for the GM to point the finger primarily at the offense overshadows the more obvious concern that the Rockies sit at or near the bottom of the league in most major pitching categories.  Schmidt did admit that “it’s not a great bullpen” but also claimed that “for the most part, the starting rotation has been OK.”  Even with a nod to the injury-depleted nature of the rotation, “OK” is a real reach considering that Colorado is 30th of 30 teams in ERA (5.79), SIERA (4.58), WHIP (1.58), and strikeout rate (16.5%).  An argument can certainly be made that the Rox might still be struggling even if they had a top-ten lineup, simply because the pitching has been so poor.  The rotation has been obviously hurt by the losses of German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela to Tommy John surgery and Kyle Freeland to an elbow strain, though that isn’t necessarily the most solid of top threes even if everyone was healthy.

Beyond just Meulens, Schmidt felt the coaching staff as a whole and manager Bud Black “are doing a very good job….because of the work ethic of the players.  Our guys are playing hard.  The effort level is there, night in and night out. That’s what I see.”  Perhaps interestingly, Schmidt didn’t address the topic of a potential contract extension for Black when Saunders asked about the seeming lack of news on the subject of the skipper’s future.

Black is in his eighth season in Colorado, and his first two seasons with the club resulted in postseason appearances.  Since then, however, the Rox haven’t posted a winning record, resulting in Black’s lackluster 484-580 overall record during his managerial tenure with the team.  Black signed one-year contract extensions in March 2022 and March 2023, but despite some reports of talks during Spring Training, no new deal was announced this year.

It could be that an extension was quietly reached but not publicly revealed, as the Rockies have tended to take something of an unique approach to managerial contracts.  With both Black and former manager Jim Tracy, the two sides operated on an unofficial year-to-year handshake deal, so it might be that the Rox didn’t see the need this time for a formal announcement of another extension.  Or, the lack of an announcement might imply that Black is having some hesitation on his own end of the deal — Black turns 67 in June, so it might not be a surprise if he is considering retirement.

As for positives, Schmidt cited the improved numbers posted by Ryan McMahon, Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and the Elias Diaz/Jacob Stallings catching combo.  Between these players, healthy and productive returns from Bryant and Jones, and just overall improved hitting, Schmidt is confident the Rockies can play some better baseball.

This type of semi-positive outlook might not be what Denver fans want to hear, but in fairness to Schmidt, it’s pretty rare that an executive in his situation would outright slam his players or his coaching staff over the 8-24 start.  This doesn’t mean that harsher criticisms aren’t taking place behind closed doors, but Schmidt publicly calling out his team could very well cause more problems than it would solve.

On the other hand, the Colorado organization (from owner Dick Monfort on down) has long been accused of having a more optimistic view of the team than their talent level would seem to warrant.  The Rox have long resisted the idea of a public rebuild, so such a course correction likely isn’t going to happen barring a big change of heart from Monfort.  As such, it’s hard to determine how exactly the Rockies are going to be able to dig themselves out of his big hole, or even show clear signs that the team is making progress back towards contention.