Rockies Mailbag: Fans want to know who is going to be the long-term GM

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.

Pose a Rockies — oregon MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

If Bill Schmidt does get the full-time GM job, bash you deliberation it would payment him by bringing successful extracurricular endowment to tally the scouting-and-player improvement departments? Feels similar “everything” staying in-house would beryllium a atrocious look for the club. It would beryllium bully to spot immoderate front-office endowment from organizations similar Tampa, Toronto and San Diego who person prime way records travel successful and supplement Schmidt. I deliberation it’s a atrocious determination to enactment with Schmidt, but with the Monforts I prep myself for immoderate I don’t want.
— Carson, Englewood

Carson, from the radical I’ve talked to it’s wide that Schmidt has the wrong way for the job. That said, proprietor Dick Monfort volition person to behaviour a search, adjacent if it’s preordained that Schmidt gets the job. Major League Baseball requires teams to see pistillate oregon number candidates “for each wide manager, adjunct wide manager, tract manager, manager of subordinate improvement and manager of scouting positions.”

I talked to a erstwhile MLB GM who believes that Schmidt would bash a bully occupation if helium was allowed to prosecute his ain staff. I judge Schmidt would beryllium fixed the OK to bash that, but I don’t cognize however acold helium would spell extracurricular the enactment to physique his team.

It’s wide that the Rockies request to beef up their analytics department, but volition Monfort walk the indispensable wealth to bash so?

I’m connected the grounds arsenic saying the Rockies should spell extracurricular the enactment for their adjacent GM and get a caller perspective.

As for proprietor Dick Monfort, helium truly does worth loyalty. In my opinion, helium doesn’t privation to prosecute from the extracurricular due to the fact that it could shingle up a batch of things.

Based connected the existent roster, who would you similar to spot successful the outfield adjacent year?
— Bill, Denver

Bill, if you’re asking astir the “current” 26-man roster, I could spot Raimel Tapia and Connor Joe sharing clip successful left, though Tapia would beryllium “the starter.” Tapia mightiness beryllium fixed a changeable successful centerfield, but his routes to shot are sometimes inactive iffy, successful my opinion.

Charlie Blackmon would enactment successful the close field, alternatively of becoming the main designated hitter. As you astir apt know, the National League volition apt statesman utilizing the DH adjacent season.

Yonathan Daza, Garrett Hampson and Sam Hilliard would conflict it retired for the 4th and 5th outfield spots.

Ideally, my halfway fielder would beryllium Hilliard. I emotion however helium plays the position, he’s got large powerfulness and fantabulous speed. But until helium cuts down connected his strikeouts by handling breaking pitches better, he’s not a full-time starter.

I admit that I’m smitten with Joe close now. But helium inactive has a batch to prove, due to the fact that helium lone has 142 big-league at-bats. We’ll person to spot what happens erstwhile pitchers get a afloat “book” connected him.

It’s nary concealed that the Rockies request to adhd a powerfulness hitter and that could beryllium an outfielder.

Hi Patrick, I americium truthful appreciative of your astonishing work, particularly during each the limitations you’ve had to contend with! I person been perplexed astatine however often immoderate successful the nationalist media explicit exasperation that the Rockies won’t conscionable usage the “rebuild” connection since the Nolan Arenado trade. I deliberation their prime not to usage that connection is precise appropriate, and fixed the prime of their starting pitching, a afloat sell-off and rebuild seems ill-advised. I deliberation a mates of interaction bats could spell a agelong way, and erstwhile I work immoderate folks saying, “The Rockies are 5 years distant astatine least,” that seems incongruous with their prime of play and the endowment they have. Yes, the roadworthy grounds is abysmal and Jeff Bridich was egregious with his communication, truthful I recognize people’s skepticism, but bash you deliberation the telephone to “just accidental rebuild” volition soften and could the Rockies get the pieces to rebound sooner than expected?
— John, Los Angeles

John, acknowledgment for the compliment. First of all, the “rebuild” communicative began erstwhile Arenado said it, not once, but a mates of times. I was the newsman who asked Bridich and proprietor Dick Monfort if the Rockies were successful “rebuild mode.” They didn’t similar my question, but it was just and timely.

But you marque a valid point. A afloat rebuild is thing that the Cubs and Nationals are going done by trading disconnected their prima players. The Rockies person mislaid Arenado and are going to suffer Trevor Story via escaped bureau astatine the extremity of the season, but it’s not a implicit teardown. That’s conscionable not the mode the Rockies bash things.

However, I disagree with your contention that the Rockies are adjacent to contending. If the Rockies are capable to beef up their lineup with immoderate prime powerfulness hitters during this offseason, and if they could adhd a coagulated reliever oregon two, the timeline toward contention would velocity up. But arsenic interim GM Bill Schmidt has repeatedly said, the Rockies are a “draft and develop” franchise. In my mind, that means that playoff contention remains a fewer years away.

Patrick, I emotion Connor Joe’s play and enthusiasm for the game. Do you deliberation he’s played himself into a starting spot for the remainder of the season? And what bash you deliberation are his prospects of being a large contributor for america adjacent year?
— Ryan, Castle Rock

Ryan, I touched connected this successful different question, but I’ll grow a small spot here. As I wrote successful my Sunday column, Joe has been my biggest astonishment of the season. You are precisely close that helium brings enthusiasm to the game. He’s got a good, coagulated swing, too. He’s inactive a small unsmooth astatine archetypal basal but he’s flashed immoderate skills successful the outfield.

But you person to retrieve that he’s had lone 142 big-league at-bats, truthful it’s excessively aboriginal to archer if he’s going to beryllium a high-impact player.

I had a chap “pressbox wag” archer maine that Joe reminds him of Ryan Spilborghs, who was a coagulated outfielder with the Rockies and adjacent to a full-time subordinate successful 2009-10.

When Raimel Tapia comes disconnected the injured list, he’s going to request playing time, but I’m definite manager Bud Black volition find a mode to springiness Joe plentifulness of playing time. The Rockies privation to spot what they’ve got.

Hi Patrick, what bash you spot arsenic the aboriginal of Joshua Fuentes with the Rockies? Is his late-season stint successful the minors a sincere accidental to hone his batting skills and a prelude to making him the regular starter astatine 3rd basal successful 2022, possibly with Ryan McMahon astatine 2nd and Brendan Rodgers astatine shortstop? Or is it an evident motion that the Rockies are already turning to different options astatine third?
— Karl Yambert, Lafayette

Karl, I don’t spot Fuentes arsenic the semipermanent reply astatine 3rd base. Don’t get maine wrong, he’s a terrific fielder but helium needs to amended astatine the plate. He slashed .228\.261\.357. I deliberation helium understands what helium needs to bash to get backmost to the majors: go a much disciplined hitter. Ideally, I deliberation the Rockies privation to spot McMahon astatine third. Actually, immoderate successful the enactment deliberation Rodgers volition beryllium amended astatine 2nd alternatively than short, but with Trevor Story leaving, Rodgers looks destined to play short.

Will the Rockies determination their outpouring grooming to the Grapefruit League oregon astatine slightest docket respective games down there? Such games would get the squad much acceptable for the baseball’s markedly antithetic question successful heavy dense air.
— Tom Peck, Erie

Tom, that’s an absorbing question, but it’s ne'er going to happen. The Rockies person invested a batch of wealth successful their analyzable and stadium astatine Salt River Fields successful Scottsdale. It’s the location basal for a batch of players during the offseason.

Plus, a batch of Rockies fans marque the comparatively abbreviated travel to Arizona for Cactus League games. They would not beryllium astir arsenic motivated to question to Florida.

Finally, spending six weeks successful Florida is not going to person a lasting interaction implicit the people of the play erstwhile the Rockies commencement playing their location games astatine Coors Field.