Bill Schmidt Q & A: Rockies interim GM on analytics, his qualifications

Bill Schmidt, the Rockies’ longtime vice president of scouting, is presently the interim wide manager. He replaced Jeff Bridich, who resigned successful precocious April. Schmidt, 61, wants to beryllium the imperishable GM erstwhile the Rockies marque that determination afterthe existent season.

Following is simply a Q&A with Schmidt.

The Denver Post: The Rockies person 1 of the smallest analytics departments successful the majors and respective staffers person near implicit the past year. We cognize the Rockies are a draft-and-development organization, but would you beef up the analytics section going forward?

Bill Schmidt: “We request to get it back, and yes, we person mislaid immoderate people. But analytics are nary antithetic than immoderate tool. That’s however I look astatine analytics, arsenic a tool.

“And I’ll beryllium honorable with you. I’m a large proponent of the intelligence broadside of (baseball). I deliberation that mightiness beryllium much important and I’ve talked to Dick (owner Dick Monfort) astir it. I deliberation we person to physique up the intelligence skills broadside arsenic overmuch arsenic we bash the analytics area. Because, remember, we are dealing with quality beings.”

DP: What bash you deliberation your spot would beryllium arsenic a wide manager?
Schmidt: “I tin bring a radical of radical together. I tin lead. It comes down to trusting your people.”

DP: How would your acquisition arsenic a scout payment you arsenic a GM?
Schmidt: “It’s portion of putting unneurotic a team. You are looking astatine contiguous but you are besides looking astatine the future, and who has potential.”

DP: Do you instrumentality pridefulness successful your skills arsenic a endowment evaluator?
Schmidt: “I similar to deliberation I person done OK. Have I made mistakes? Sure I have, arsenic has anybody other successful this game.”

DP: What are the areas wherever the Rockies request to amended the most?
Schmidt: “I would accidental that we request to get amended successful each areas. We’ve got to proceed to grow.”

DP: When did you autumn successful emotion with baseball?
Schmidt: “I grew up successful an country successful Anaheim (Calif.) that had a large Little League program. We had an American League and a National League with 10 teams successful each league. And we had 2 abstracted all-star teams and ours came 5 games distant from going to Williamsport (for the Little League World Series).

“So that’s wherever my passionateness comes from. I was blessed to turn up successful that shot environment.”