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Home , Bo Porter, Clint Hurdle, Darren Holmes (baseball), Glenallen Hill, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Bridich

MEDIA CLIPS – October 10, 2016

Rockies expected to shake up coaching staff

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | October 8th, 2016

DENVER -- The Rockies are expected to retain third-base and pitching coaches and Darren

Holmes, and part ways with the rest of the staff that worked under former , a Major League source said Saturday.

The staff shakeup was first reported by USA Today via . The club did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation, and has not made an announcement. Bench coach , hitting coach Blake Doyle, catching/defensive positioning coach and first-base coach were not retained, the source said.

Weiss' three-year contract expired at the end of 2016, and he announced Monday that he would not pursue a new deal.

General manager Jeff Bridich concurred, and both cited a difficult working relationship as the reason. The moves appeared to further put Bridich's stamp on the club's coaching and increase the break from Weiss' tenure.

Foster and Holmes were hired after Bridich assumed GM duties following the '14 season. Cole has been with the Rockies organization in the Minors and Majors since 1995; before becoming third-base coach four seasons ago, he managed in

Triple-A from 2009-12. Bridich was the Rockies' player development director from December 2011 to October 2014, when he was promoted.

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Runnells had been on the Major League staff since being promoted from -A manager to bench coach in '09, when

Jim Tracy replaced as manager. When Weiss was hired as manager before the '13 season, he retained

Runnells and brought in Doyle, with whom he was familiar from his teenage years; Young, who had been first-base coach with the D-backs and was a teammate of Weiss' with the Rockies; and Lachemann, who managed Weiss with the Marlins in 1993.

The Rockies confirmed that Triple-A manager was being considered for the managerial job. Braves first- base coach Eddie Perez also said this week he was called by the Rockies and is a potential candidate.

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De La Rosa treasures 9 years with Rockies

With Colorado's farm system stocked, lefty's return unlikely

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | October 7th, 2016

DENVER -- The goodbye felt certain, and it went by slowly for left-hander Jorge De La Rosa.

The up-and-down final year of his two-year, $25 million contract ended on a downer -- 4 2/3 innings, eight runs (seven earned) in a 10-5 loss to the Cardinals on Sept. 20. The loss dropped De La Rosa to 8-9, which made 2016 the only season since he joined the Rockies in 2008 that he finished with a sub-.500 record (except for '12, when he only made three appearances).

"It's hard," said De La Rosa, who had little to do besides pack his locker the final two weeks. "You've been playing here for nine years, and I think I did a good job all those years."

De La Rosa, 35, joined the Rockies in a trade with the Royals at the start of 2008, after starting his career with the

Brewers. Before that, he saw time in the D-backs and Red Sox's organizations and pitched a year in his native Mexico. It was a good move for the Rockies and De La Rosa.

Jorge De La Rosa strikes out eight over five strong innings of three- ball against the Nationals

De La Rosa is the club's leader in wins (86), and (985), and his .585 winning percentage with all but nine of his

209 appearances as a starter, is tops for a Colorado starter. Even after this rough season, his 53-20 mark at will stand as a benchmark. According to Baseball Reference, De La Rosa's 15.2 WAR ranks third among in club history, behind Ubaldo Jimenez (18.6) and Aaron Cook (16.8).

This year was interrupted when De La Rosa went to the disabled list in late April with a left groin strain but spent extra time to fix his delivery. Still, through May 24, he had an 11.41 ERA and was struggling more than most knew.

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"I went through a lot of things this year -- I got sick two times, went to the hospital two times for stomach things, right before and at the beginning of the season," De La Rosa said. "Nobody [outside those closest to him] knows about those things. But that's not an excuse. I didn't pitch well."

Jorge De La Rosa holds the Cubs to two runs on four hits with six strikeouts over eight strong innings in the Rockies' 11-4 win

In addition to regaining his health, De La Rosa and coach Darren Holmes worked on taking a hesitation out of his delivery. Three eye-opening extended relief appearances (1-0, 1.13 ERA, 10 strikeouts in eight innings) led to a new chance in the rotation. From May 28-July 30, De La Rosa went 6-3 with a 3.23 ERA and was a key reason the Rockies moved into Wild Card contention. He and the club faltered at the end.

"I didn't help them this year the way I wanted, but these nine years are the best nine years of my career," De La Rosa said. "I'm never going to forget this team. I just want to try to work in the offseason, especially my body and get it stronger for next year."

Jorge De La Rosa aids his own cause with a two-run single to right field, extending the Rockies' lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning

It doesn't appear De La Rosa has a clear return route, at least to the rotation.

The Rockies have every reason to turn to a group of 20-somethings -- righties Chad Bettis, Tyler Chatwood and and lefty -- who were all selected in the first two rounds of the Draft and all perfomed solidly. Righty prospects Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez finished the year in the Majors, lefties and Harrison

Musgrave finished the year in Triple-A, and righty is on the radar for next year after pitching sparingly this year because of shoulder soreness

All those signs point toward a De La Rosa departure.

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"I don't know if it would make sense to bring me back [to the Rockies], but I will wait to see," he said. "The time I was in the bullpen, I liked it. I know I can still pitch in games like a starter, but we'll see what happens."

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Report: Rox eye Perez as managerial candidate

Former MLB catcher has coached in Braves system for 10 years

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | October 8th, 2016

DENVER -- The Rockies have not gone public with candidates for their managerial opening, but Braves first-base coach

Eddie Perez acknowledged that the Rockies have contacted him, according to a report from Venezuela.

Perez is managing the Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Winter League. On Thursday, Reyes Urena, a reporter for

Lider en Deportes tweeted that Perez received a call from the Rockies and is on a list of potential candidates to replace

Walt Weiss, who announced Monday that he would not return in what turned out a mutual decision between him and general manager Jeff Bridich.

The Venezuelan publication El Emergente published a story, crediting Urena's tweet.

Reyes Ureña @Reyesured

#Tigres también comentó que recibió una llamada de los #Rockies Está en una lista de posibles candidatos a mánagers

The Rockies have been quiet about their potential candidates list, and did not offer official comment Friday night when the story began circulating in English.

In a conference call after the Weiss announcement, Bridich said there would be internal and external candidate. The only specific name that was mentioned was that of Triple-A Albuquerque manager Glenallen Hill. Bridich responded to a question about him, since the early rumor mill had him as a frontrunner:

"I think he [Hill] wouold be somebody internally that we would consider, certainly. But then again, this is all very new information and new news. So there have been no formal plans put in place."

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Perez, 48, was a catcher in the Majors with the Braves (1995-2001, 2004-05), Indians (2002) and Brewers (2003). Perez has spent 10 seasons on the Braves' coaching staff. Before this season, Hall of Fame manager , who spent most of his managing career with the Braves, touted Perez's managerial future.

"Eddie is really a plus on any team. He would be a plus managing someday," Cox said. "He's still got young kids in high school and the family. He's such a big family guy, and it's hard for him to leave Atlanta right now. But I think in a couple years, he'll be able to do that or whatever. He's Major League managerial material, for sure."

The Braves' managing job is open, but president of baseball operations said interim manager , who took over when Fredi Gonzalez was dismissed after a 9-28 start, is a candidate. He added it would be difficult for the

Braves to pass over Snitker and hire Perez, bench coach or third-base coach Bo Porter. The Braves have revealed that former Padres manager and former Rangers manager are candidates.

Perez is vying to become the third Venezuelan to manage a Major League club, behind Ozzie Guillen, who managed the

White Sox 2004-11 and the Marlins in 2012, and Alfredo Pedrique, who managed the D-backs for 80 games in 2004.

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Rockies’ young starters flash talent, offer promise for 2017

By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] | UPDATED: October 8, 2016 at 1:35 am

Editor’s note: First of a series analyzing the and looking toward the off-season. Today: The starting pitching

Why are the Rockies so bullish about their young starting rotation? It’s not just the numbers, it’s the attitude those pitchers have.

“I am not at all satisfied with my season,” said rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson, who finished 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 19 starts. “I think that’s true of all our guys. We truly believe we are going to get even better. It’s exciting.”

After striking out a franchise-record 16 batters against San Diego on Sept. 17, rookie right-hander Jon Gray said: “I feel like I belong out here this year. I told myself, ‘I’m here for a reason, so why not show it off?’ That has been my thought process this year: ‘Go show it off.’ ”

Based on their 2016 performance, the 2017 Rockies are poised to have their best rotation since their 2009 playoff season.

Following are snapshots of the starters’ 2016 season and what lies ahead.

Key stat: The combined ERA of Tyler Chatwood, Chad Bettis, Anderson and Gray, the four pitchers who figure to be in the rotation next season, was 4.28. Throw out a few starts that were clunkers and that number improves a lot. Either way, that’s plenty good enough to win at Coors Field. The key, of course, is keeping those pitchers healthy and adding another arm to the rotation. And having a bullpen that can protect a lead. Rookie right-hander Jeff Hoffman is the front-runner for the fifth spot, but German Marquez, another rookie right-hander who shined late, will be in the mix.

Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, the winningest pitcher in franchise history, will not return. In the final year of a two-year,

$25 million contract, he finished 8-9 with a 5.51 ERA.

Major question mark: Can Chatwood solve his Coors Field woes? His home-road splits were dramatic and disconcerting.

The right-hander set a franchise record with 1.69 ERA over 13 road starts. His stuff moved and caused opposing hitters 8

fits. In 14 home starts, where his pitches tended to flatten out, Chatwood’s ERA soared to 6.12. He needs to be more competitive at home.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon GrayDavid Zalubowski, The Associated PressColorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon

Gray is doused after throwing his first complete game shutout by relief pitcher Jason Motte, left, and catcher Tom Murphy after Gray retired the in the ninth inning on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in Denver.

Performance of the year: Without question it was Gray’s gem against the Padres. Not only did he whiff 16, he threw a complete-game shutout, utilizing not only his fastball and devastating slider, but throwing a curve that kept batters guessing.

Overlooked performance: Bettis’ 4.79 and 1.41 WHIP were nothing to shout about, but he emerged as a dependable workhorse, pitching 186 innings over 32 starts and posting a 14-8 record. More important, once Bettis mastered his fastball and began using it to set up his curve and changeup, he thrived. The right-hander was 7-2 with a 3.75 ERA over his final 14 starts.

What’s next? The offseason brings a number of question marks, beginning with the status of pitching coach Steve Foster.

Manager Walt Weiss is gone, so it’s up to the new manager, whomever that is, if Foster stays. He likely will. He has a good relationship with general manager Jeff Bridich and the pitchers credit Foster for his ability to get them back on track.

Spring training will be interesting, as Hoffman, Marquez and possibly left-handed prospect Kyle Freeland make a bid to crack the starting rotation. The Rockies have never had the depth and quality of young starters that they have now. The good news is that acquiring a veteran starting pitcher during the offseason is not atop Bridich’s to-do list.

Coming Monday: The bullpen.

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Fixing Rockies’ terrible bullpen is top priority for GM Jeff Bridich

Carlos Estevez’s blown against Miami a turning point in the season

By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected]| UPDATED: October 10, 2016 at 6:32 am

Editor’s note: Second of a series analyzing the Colorado Rockies and looking toward the off-season. Today: The bullpen

On August 3, the Rockies beat the 12-2 at Coors Field behind seven strong innings from rookie starter Tyler Anderson. The Rockies improved to 54-53. They were alive in the National League wild-card hunt.

It turned out to be the last time the Rockies were above .500.

Two games later, rookie closer Carlos Estevez blew his fourth save. The Rockies scored three runs in the eighth to take a

3-1 lead over Miami, but Estevez gave up four runs on three hits and two walks, and recorded just one out, as the Marlins rallied for a 5-3 victory in the ninth.

It was a stomach-churning loss, emblematic not only of the Rockies’ lost season, but also of the bullpen woes that crippled Colorado’s chances of contending for a playoff berth.

“I think what we need is a few more bullpen arms,” all-star said on the final day of the season. “We’ve seen a lot of improvement from our starting rotation … but we need help in the bullpen. I’m not pointing fingers, because this is a team thing, but we need to get better in the bullpen.”

Arenado was diplomatically stating the obvious. Following are snapshots of the bullpen’s 2016 season and what lies ahead.

Key stat: Colorado’s bullpen ERA was 5.13, the worst in the majors, the sixth worst in franchise history and club’s worst since 2004. Within that ERA were a myriad of sins, including 28 blown saves (fourth most in the majors), 69 home runs

(eighth most) and a .273 batting average against (second most).

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On the hot seat: Adam Ottavino returned from surgery and was the club’s closer by the end of this past season. His raw numbers were impressive: 1-3 record, 2.67 ERA, .184 batting average against and an 0.93 WHIP.

But the right-hander blew five saves in 12 chances.

“I didn’t think I performed in the ninth inning, in the clutch, as well as I wanted to,” Ottavino said. “That’s something I will improve next year.”

To that end, Ottavino is working on adding a cut-fastball to his repertoire, a pitch he believes will help him against left- handed batters. Unless the Rockies make a major splash in the off-season, expect Ottavino to begin next season as the closer.

Major question: What will general manager Jeff Bridich do with disappointing right-handers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls?

The two were signed as free agents last winter, Motte for two years/$10 million and Qualls for two years/$6 million. Both were injured and ineffective when healthy this past season. Will the Rockies simply eat the contracts and move on? It’s not in the Rockies’ DNA, but it’s a move to consider.

A similar question revolves around left-hander Jake McGee, who was acquired from Tampa as part of the Corey

Dickerson trade. In 57 appearances, he posted a 4.73 ERA with a .158 WHIP. More disconcerting, McGee’s fastball velocity was down. With the Rays in 2014, his four-seam fastball averaged 96.4 mph, but it was only 93.4 in 2016. In

2014, his two-seamer averaged 96.0 mph, but it dipped to 94.0 this season. A knee injury could be the reason, but he was not the fireball, late-inning reliever he was touted to be when the trade was made.

Help on the way? There is some intriguing talent in the organization beginning with hard-throwing right-hander Jairo Diaz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s raw, but his stuff is terrific. Veterans Chris Rusin and Jordan Lyles, both former starters, provide some hope as long relievers. And Bridich could dip into his minor-league talent pool, perhaps transforming starters into relievers.

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Asked if he would go outside of the organization to acquire bullpen help either through free agency or a trade, Bridich answered: “I’m not sure yet. I think that we are going to do everything that we need to do in the offseason to see if there are ways to making us better in the ‘pen.”

Coming Tuesday: The catchers.

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Rockies don’t renew contracts of 4 coaches, including Tom Runnells and Eric Young

By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] | UPDATED: October 9, 2016 at 12:08 am

The Rockies’ house cleaning continued Saturday when virtually the entire staff that had served under former manager

Walt Weiss was fired.

According to a major-league source, the Rockies will not be bringing back bench coach Tom Runnells, hitting coach Blake

Doyle, catching coach Rene Lachemann and first base-outfield coach Eric Young.

Pitching coach Steve Foster, bullpen coach Darren Holmes and third base coach Stu Cole remain with the team, at least for now.

Weiss stepped down Monday, a day after his three-year contract expired. A meeting was supposed to take place last week between Weiss, general manager Jeff Bridich and owner Dick Monfort to review the 2016 season and Weiss’ future with the club. That meeting never took place because Weiss walked away.

“I told them I was not going to pursue another contract,” Weiss told The Denver Post. “It was time to move on … I just thought the working relationship with the front office wasn’t healthy or productive. That was ultimately my thought when I made this decision.”

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Saunders: The bullpen, Tulo’s postseason and D-backs’ shot at Rockies

By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] - October 8, 2016 at 10:41 pm

There’s been a lot said since the end of the Rockies’ season and the end of the Walt Weiss era this past week. Some of the most important words came from general manager Jeff Bridich.

When asked what he’ll do to fix the Rockies’ broken bullpen, he replied: “I’m not sure yet. I think that we are going to do everything that we need to do in the offseason to see if there are ways to making us better in the ‘pen.”

If that’s not a promise, it’s pretty close to it.

Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the Rockies’ Achilles’ heel. Their 5.13 bullpen ERA this past season was the worst in the majors, sixth worst in franchise history and the highest since Colorado’s 2004 bullpen posted a 5.52 ERA.

How key is the bullpen to success? Of this year’s 10 postseason qualifiers, seven of them ranked in the top 10 in bullpen

ERA, led by the Los Angeles’ Dodgers’ 3.35. The three exceptions were San Francisco (15th, 3.65), Toronto (21st, 4.11) and Texas (25th, 4.40).

Tulo time. Toronto’s has caught a lot of heat for his lack of postseason success, particularly from Rockies fans who wished him good riddance when he was shipped out of town in the summer of 2015. Those fans had plenty of ammunition. Entering this year’s playoffs, Tulowitzki was hitting .208 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 27 postseason games.

But Tulo is off to a sizzling start in this year’s playoffs. Heading into Sunday’s game against Texas, the Blue Jays are 3-0 in the postseason and Tulo is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with a , triple and five RBIs.

I’m not shy in saying that I’m rooting for him to succeed.

Rivalry rekindled? I frequently kid with the Diamondbacks beat writers — the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro and

MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert — about the “intense” rivalry between Rockies and D-backs. There is no rivalry, of course. There 14

never has been a rivalry, despite the two clubs being geographic neighbors (kind of), and the fireworks during the 2007

NLCS.

That said, I’m curious what the Rockies’ management thinks about last week’s comments from Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick. Piecoro wrote a terrific, in-depth story in which he described the Diamondbacks as “baseball’s most volatile franchise” because of their frequent turnover in the front office.

Wrote Piecoro: “(Kendrick) explained his willingness to change by pointing to the unwillingness of the Colorado Rockies

— a team that stuck with Dan O’Dowd as general manager for 15 years despite mixed results — to do the same.”

Then he quoted Kendrick, who said: “I look at it from the perspective of spending a good amount of time in Colorado, and they have practiced that (continuity). And while they did make a general manager change fairly recently, they’ll probably not like me saying this, but continuity in their setting produced seven losing seasons in a row. I don’t think our fans would find that very acceptable.”

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Rockies interested in Eddie Perez for managerial opening, per report

The Braves coach may be a good fit considering his experience working with some of the game's greatest pitchers during his playing career. Plus, we throw another much more well-known name -- Mark McGwire -- out there.

By Jordan Freemyer and Bryan Kilpatrick Oct 8, 2016, 9:58a / Purple Row

With Walt Weiss out the door, the Rockies are now tasked with finding the seventh manager in franchise history.

Several candidates have already been mentioned, including Eric Young and Glenallen Hill internally and now Eddie Perez externally, according to a report out of Venezuela (via David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution).

Perez, who currently serves as the first base coach for the Braves and manages in the Venezuelan Winter League, has served as a major league coach for 10 years after a long playing career that saw him regularly catch some of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Having someone with Perez's experience with pitching and, really, all things baseball would be of great benefit to the Rockies. His Latin American heritage and background could also serve the club well; the

Rockies already have a strong core of talented players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, and more are on the way.

However, one man who has not been mentioned, but should get a look, is Padres bench coach Mark McGwire.

McGwire, now 53 years old, just finished his first season as bench coach under in San Diego after having spent the previous three as hitting coach with the Dodgers under . Those four years in the NL West represent the lion’s share of McGwire’s coaching career. He was the Cardinals' hitting coach from 2010-2012.

What should be appealing about McGwire to Rockies fans, and frankly to general manager Jeff Bridich, is that he spent the last four seasons not only in the NL West, but in two very analytically inclined organizations in San Diego and Los

Angeles. In fact, one of the first moves made by the Dodgers under their new ownership group was to pluck McGwire from the St. Louis coaching staff. He was then named bench coach by Green when he took over as Padres manager prior to the 2016 season.

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Under McGwire, the Dodgers had their three best offensive seasons of the last decade from 2013-2015, with team wRC+ numbers of 103, 112 and 107. The Rockies have not had a team wRC+ over 97 since installing the humidor at Coors

Field in 2002.

Though he has been a coach at the big league level for seven years, McGwire is still best known as the former single- season home run king, having 70 home runs in 1998 and 583 for his career. Given that background, he would perhaps be much more averse to bunting, especially with position players, than Weiss was.

McGwire blends some traits of two names that have been popular candidates among Rockies fans, Gabe Kapler, the

Dodgers’ director of player development, and former Rockies . Like Kapler, McGwire brings a pedigree from the highly regarded Dodgers organizition and on-field coaching experience, which he actually has more of than Kapler. He also has a similar playing background to Giambi, who was a finalist for the Rockies job when they hired

Weiss in 2012, though with much more coaching experience than Giambi did four years ago.

Another positive for McGwire is that his background is in hitting, and he would likely be amenable to Steve Foster and

Darren Holmes remaining as pitching coach and bullpen coach, something the Rockies are likely to ask of a new manager.

A caveat with McGwire is that, like Weiss, he spent a lot of time under as both a player and coach.

However, unlike Weiss, he has four years spent in more progressive organizations that have likely given him a more modern outlook on the game.

Given his career path to date, it seems McGwire will get a shot to manage a big league team somewhere in the near future, the Rockies would do well to consider making it in Colorado next season.

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Riley Pint Closes Out First Pro Season

Instructional League - October 08, 2016 / By Josh Norris /

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—After the Rockies took him with the fourth overall pick in this past June’s draft, Riley Pint spent the summer finding out that professional hitters are a lot different than the ones he spent four years dominating in high school in Overland Park, Kan.

Even in the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where Pint pitched with Grand Junction, hitters are more skilled, more discerning and more talented than the average prep player. Perhaps that was why, despite an enviable body at 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds and a tantalizing three-pitch mix, the numbers Pint put up didn’t jump off the page.

In 11 starts at Grand Junction, Pint, 18, went 1-5, 5.35 and gave up 43 hits in 37 innings. He struck out 36 in that time (8.7 per nine innings), but walked 23 as well (5.6 per nine).

“(My first season) was good. It was a learning experience and I’m glad it was spent in the Pioneer League just getting used to everything about pro ball,” Pint said. “The hitters are really good, a lot different than high school. You just have to roll with the punches and figure out what the umpires’ zones are like and all that stuff.”

Even so, it was easy to tell on Saturday morning, when Pint’s Rockies matched up with Giants prospects in an instructional league game,that Pint’s stuff easily places him among the game’s elite prospects.

He ranked No. 2 on this year’s BA 500 before the draft, then checked in as the Pioneer League’s No. 1 prospect this fall.

In two innings on Saturday against the Giants, it was easy to see both Pint’s tremendous upside and the development that still needs to take place. In his first inning, he sat between 96-99 mph with his fastball and touched 100 once. The pitch also showed sinking action at times as well. He coupled it with a hard curveball in the low- to mid-80s.

He struck out two in the first inning, getting Bryan Reynolds looking at a breaking ball and Gio Brusa swinging on an elevated fastball.

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His command wandered in the second inning, and the inning had to be stopped after just out because Pint had reached his pitch limit for the afternoon. His fastball sat more in the 95-96 mph range in the second inning, and he worked in plenty of changeups.

The pitch, which he had during high school but rarely used, sat in the high-80s but touched 90 mph at times. Considering its sparing use when Pint was an amateur, the changeup was understandably firm and well behind his other two pitches.

“I’ve had (the changeup) since I was a little kid,” he said, “but I never really threw it that much.”

He also said he was focusing on Saturday working more toward the inner half of the plate, which may have contributed to his shakiness in the second inning.

“I was just missing in. We were trying to go in and trying to work on a few things in the second inning,” We didn’t really get where we needed to go, but I still felt good about it. I was just trying to get in on hitters and work on my changeup more than I usually do.”

Overall, though, Pint was pleased with his outing, which had the scout section behind home plate at the Giants’ minor league buzzing on nearly every pitch.

“I thought the fastball was pretty good today, especially in the first inning, because I was locating down in the zone,” he said. “I was pretty happy with that today.”

Next season, Pint is like to spend next year in parks that aren’t conducive to success for pitchers. If he’s assigned to low

Class A Asheville, he’ll spend his home games at McCormick Field, which in 2015 yielded the second-most home runs per game in the minor leagues. The only park above it on the list? High Desert’s Heritage Field, which saw its team contracted and moved to the Carolina League after last season.

When he makes it out of Asheville, he’ll move to Lancaster (Colorado’s new high affiliate for 2017), which ranks as one of the bigger launching pads in the homer-happy California League.

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That’s next year, though. For now, Pint is happy to put 2016 in the books—Saturday was the Rockies’ instructional league finale—and get to his first offseason. The year had its ups and its downs, but Pint considers it a success.

“It was a great,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better first season.”

WALL CLIMBER

Forrest Wall, an infielder whom the Rockies drafted in the supplemental first round two years ago out of high school in

Florida, homered and tripled in consecutive at-bats on Saturday. He hit .266/.331/.357 this season with high Class A

Modesto with six home runs.

Outfielder Jacob Bosiokovic, the Rockies’ 19th-round pick out of Ohio State this year, slammed a two-run home run to left field. He hit four home runs in 68 games with short-season Boise in his first taste of pro ball.

Righthander Chris Stratton, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2012 out of Mississippi State who made his major league debut this season, started the game in a warmup for his upcoming stint in the , which starts on Tuesday.

He sat in the low-90s with two-seam life at times against the Rockies, and complemented with a slider in the low-80s that showed a tick better than average at times. He also mixed in a changeup and curveball, neither of which were better than average.

Outfielder Sandro Fabian, an 18-year-old who hit .340/.364/.522 this past season in the Rookie-level Arizona League, hit a loud off the left-field wall.

Rockies righthander Julian Fernandez, who hit as high as 102 this year with his fastball in the Northwest League, touched

99 twice in a quick ninth inning to close the game.

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Colorado Rockies: The 5 Biggest Moments of the 2016 Season

By Kevin Henry – October 9, 2016 / Rox Pile

There are moments during every season that define the course for a baseball team. Such was the case for the 2016 version of the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies finished 2016 with a 75-87 record. That’s not overly impressive upon first glance. However, when you take into account that the 75 wins represent Colorado’s best season since 2010, the number looks better. Furthermore, when you know that the 75-87 record is the 10th-best in the franchise’s history, that helps put the season in context as well.

Not only did the Rockies make strides in 2016, they also set the table for what could be a very intriguing 2017 season.

With veteran players such as Carlos Gonzalez, , DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado mixing in with young talent like and , the offense could be one of the most dangerous in the National League next season. Add to that a young, talented pitching staff and the Rockies seem to have the pieces in place for a successful near future.

But before we can get too excited about the future, we have to look at the past. Let’s look at the 5 biggest moments of the

2016 season that allowed the Rockies to not only earn 75 wins but also set the table for 2017 and beyond.

March 29 – Trevor Story named Colorado’s starting

It’s hard to remember a time when Colorado had question marks at shortstop, but that’s exactly what was happening as spring training arrived.

With Troy Tulowitzki traded to Toronto and Jose Reyes in limbo because of a domestic violence case, Colorado’s shortstop spot was up for grabs in early March. Story, Daniel Descalso and Cristhian Adames competed for the position in spring training until Story separated himself from the pack.

Story hit six homers and batted .378 to earn the starting nod on March 29. Of course, those six homers would pale in comparison to what Story would do once the season opened. 21

The 24-year-old shortstop would make MLB history on his way to logging 27 homers and 72 RBI in an injury-shortened season. He would be named the April National League Rookie of the Month after belting 10 homers and 20 RBI in that month alone. He also earned National League Player of the Week honors twice, including one for the opening week of the season. Story splashed onto the national scene with two homers in Colorado’s Opening Night win over the Arizona

Diamondbacks.

While he wouldn’t play the entire season, Story’s success would set the bar high and ensure Colorado’s shortstop position won’t be in a flux situation heading into the 2017 season.

May 13 – Jon Gray gets his first big-league win

For Jon Gray, 13 was actually a lucky number.

After 13 starts for the Rockies without a win, Gray struck out eight in seven innings during a 5-2 win over the New York

Mets at Coors Field on May 13. The relief could be felt throughout the organization, not only by Gray but all of those who kept waiting for Colorado’s 2013 first-round pick to get the win monkey off his back.

The win seemed to change things for Gray, who finished the season with 10 wins and established himself as the ace of the Colorado staff.

“That’s the guy I want to be,” Gray told reporters after the game. It’s a step — I’m not saying I want to stay here, be content. I look forward to what’s next.”

What was next for Gray was a dominating season. He struck out 185 in 168 innings, including a club-record 16 batters in an 8-0 shutout of the San Diego Padres on September 17.

The biggest change for Gray as the 2016 season wore on is that he honed his slider, a devastating pitch that resulted in

12 of the 16 strikeouts he had against the Padres.

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With confidence after a double-digit win season and a dominating slider and impressive fastball, Gray is positioned to be the leader of the Colorado pitching staff in 2017.

June 6 – Tyler Chatwood dazzles at Chavez Ravine

Much like the shortstop position, there were questions about Tyler Chatwood heading into the 2016 season. Coming off his second Tommy John surgery, many wondered what the 26-year-old right-hander would bring to the Rockies. On June

6, they saw Chatwood at his finest.

Chatwood allowed just one run and one hit over eight innings as the Rockies downed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1. A second-inning single by Howie Kendrick was the only hit for the Dodgers on the night.

It was reported that Chatwood wanted to stay out and finish the game, but Walt Weiss decided to be cautious with

Chatwood after he had thrown 100 pitches during his eight-inning masterpiece.

The outing was part of a dominant road show all season by Chatwood, who finished 2016 with an 8-1 mark and 1.69 ERA away from Coors Field. Overall, he compiled a 12-9 record and 3.87 ERA.

He capped his season in style, allowing just three hits and two walks in eight scoreless innings in the Rockies’ 2-0 win at

San Francisco on September 28. That last outing helped Chatwood establish a franchise record and 2016 MLB-best mark with a 1.69 road ERA this season.

Like Gray, Chatwood has established himself as a solid part of the 2017 rotation.

July 27 – David Dahl makes an impact

After being called up two days earlier, David Dahl picked a great time to hit his first Major League homer.

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Dahl hit a 401-foot shot over the center field wall as part of a three-run sixth inning that helped the Rockies to a 3-1 road win over the . The homer followed a two-run blast from Nick Hundley and helped Jon Gray earn a hard- fought victory.

The homer was significant for a number of reasons. First, it was his only hit of the night and would be part of the rookie outfielder’s 17-game hitting streak. That streak would tie him for the longest in MLB history to open a career.

Second, it helped push the Rockies to a series victory over the Orioles, a team that would eventually earn an American

League Wild Card spot.

Third, Dahl’s homer helped Colorado grab its fifth win in six games and would be a part of a streak that saw the Rockies win nine out of 10 games to suddenly be in the discussion for the National League Wild Card race.

Like Gray, Dahl’s performance in 2016 (.315 average, seven homers and 24 RBI) is enough to whet the appetite for

Colorado fans heading into 2017. With an outfield featuring Blackmon, Gonzalez and Dahl, the Rockies should feature one of the most explosive offensive outfields in MLB.

August 19 – Colorado rallies against Chapman and the Cubs

One of the themes of Colorado’s 2016 season was that the Rockies had trouble with teams below them in the standings yet looked like world-beaters against teams above them in the standings. Such was the case against the .

After taking two of three games against the Cubs at in April, the Rockies pulled off the same feat in August at Coors Field. One of those wins, however, seemed improbable until it happened.

Just after taking two of three games from the at Coors Field, the Cubs came into Denver with the

National League’s best record. Colorado, however, didn’t flinch.

The Cubs jumped out to a 5-1 lead before the Rockies rallied to tie the game in the seventh and eighth innings, eventually forcing extra frames. 24

In the 11th, former Colorado outfielder Dexter Fowler hit a Texas Leaguer into center field to give the Cubs a 6-5 edge.

With the lead, the Cubs called upon closer Aroldis Chapman, one of Chicago’s most prized trade acquisitions, to make his first appearance in a Cubs uniform in Denver.

Chapman, however, wasn’t able to lock down the win thanks to Colorado’s rally. Nick Hundley started the comeback with a one-out single and Ryan Raburn knocked a double to right-center to plate Hundley and knot the game at 6-6.

In the haste to get Hundley at home, Chicago’s Javier Baez launched the relay throw into the Cubs dugout, awarding

Raburn home plate and giving the Rockies an improbable 7-6 victory.

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Colorado Rockies: 3 Things to Know as the Week Begins

By Kevin Henry – October 10, 2016 / Rox Pile

As we head into a new week, here are three thoughts on things pertaining to the Colorado Rockies.

1. Can the Rockies really improve their bullpen?

Absolutely, as has been well documented, the Rockies need to improve their bullpen heading into the 2017 season.

However, there are two big hurdles the team will have to overcome in order to make that happen.

Both Chad Qualls (5.23 ERA in 2016) and Jason Motte (4.94 ERA in 2016) are under contract for next season after signing two-year deals prior to last season. Between injuries and inconsistency, neither was able to be counted upon in

2016. Will the Rockies keep them around for next season or eat their contracts (Qualls for $3.75 million and Motte for $5 million) and send them somewhere else?

It’s highly unlikely that the second scenario would happen. However, with the duo in the bullpen, will the new Rockies manager feel confident bringing them into games in clutch situations? Time will tell.

Here’s one more note about the duo. Remember, according to published reports, Qualls and Motte were signed by

Rockies executives, including general manager Jeff Bridich, without discussions with former manager Walt Weiss. While much can be pinned on Weiss regarding bullpen management, it seems that he can’t be blamed for bringing those two relievers to the Mountain time zone.

2. Rockies players up for Minor League awards

David Dahl, and Matt Carasiti all made their way to 20th and Blake this season. However, some of their minor league accomplishments in 2016 are still being remembered and possibly rewarded.

Dahl is a nominee for ’s top offensive player, Tapia is up for top play thanks to an amazing catch and Carasiti is one of 10 nominees for MiLB’s best reliever of the season. 26

You can vote for them and view the reasons why they’re up for awards by clicking here. Voting ends October 25.

3. College students can be a Rockies GM for a day

If you’re in college and think you can run a Major League team, the Rockies have your chance to prove your mettle.

The Rockies are now taking submissions from college teams (two to four students in size) for the 2016 Colorado Rockies

Case Competition.

The Colorado Rockies Case Competition is an opportunity for college students to think deeply about the many decisions that a modern baseball front office has to make. The case will require building models and it will encourage entrants to

“think like a GM.” The top performers will have an opportunity to meet top Rockies front office officials and present their work to the Rockies Baseball Operations Department at Coors Field.

The challenge for this year’s competition is to create a “Draft Pick Trade Value Model” that provides the effective value of every pick in the MLB First-Year Player Draft from pick one to 1,215 for trading purposes. Applicants should explain the data inputs that they used, how they were used, and why they were important enough to include. Additionally, teams should include an analysis of their lists as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their model.

All pertinent information is available by clicking here. Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. MT on October 20.

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Colorado Rockies Manager Search: Eddie Perez in the Mix?

By Kevin Henry – October 9, 2016 / Rox Pile

There may be a new entrant in the Colorado Rockies search for a manager for the 2017 season.

According to a report out of Venezuela, the Rockies have contacted Eddie Perez, the first base coach for the Atlanta

Braves, about their managerial opening. Perez is currently managing the Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Winter

League. Earlier in the week, Reyes Urena, a reporter for Lider en Deportes, tweeted that Perez has been contacted by the

Rockies.

Reyes Ureña @Reyesured

#Tigres Eduardo Pérez también comentó que recibió una llamada de los #Rockies Está en una lista de posibles candidatos a mánagers

The 48-year-old Perez is a Major League Baseball veteran as both a player and coach. He was a catcher with the Braves

(1995-2001, 2004-05), Indians (2002) and Brewers (2003). In 11 seasons, he compiled a career .253 average with 40 career homers and 172 RBI in 564 games.

He has spent 10 seasons on the Braves’ coaching staff. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, prior to this season,

Hall of Fame former Braves manager Bobby Cox thought very highly of Perez as a potential MLB manager.

“Eddie is really a plus on any team. He would be a plus managing someday,” Cox said. “He’s still got young kids in high school and the family. He’s such a big family guy, and it’s hard for him to leave Atlanta right now. But I think in a couple years, he’ll be able to do that or whatever. He’s Major League managerial material, for sure.”

The mention of Venezuela always perks the ears of Rockies fans as All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is a native of the

South American country. and former Colorado slugger Andres Galarraga also hail from Venezuela.

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Gonzalez and other Rockies are waiting to see who the team will hire for the opening created when Walt Weiss stepped down from his post the day after the 2016 season concluded.

While no official list of candidates has been announced by Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, several names have been rumored. We have listed five potential candidates in this article and even discussed Eric Young as a possibility, but

Glenallen Hill’s name has circulated quite a bit. Hill served as the manager for Colorado’s Triple-A squad in Albuquerque last season.

Aside from Perez, another name from outside the Rockies organizations who has been mentioned is former San Diego manager Bud Black.

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Colorado Rockies Prospects Prepare for Arizona Fall League

By Kevin Henry – October 8, 2016 / Rox Pile

Seven prospects for the Colorado Rockies will be looking to hone their skills when the Arizona Fall League kicks off on

October 11 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Pitchers Shane Carle, Rayan Gonzalez, Zach Jemiola and Jerry Vasto will join infielders Ryan McMahon and and outfielder Noel Cuevas on the Salt River Rafters roster. Colorado is one of five Major League Baseball teams represented on the Rafters, joining the , , and .

Carle went 5-8 for Triple-A Albuquerque this season with a 5.42 ERA. The 25-year-old right-hander started 19 of his 27 games for the Isotopes last season. He had an interesting split, going 5-2 at home with a 4.05 ERA but 0-6 with a 6.67 record on the road.

Gonzalez posted a 2-2 mark and 3.12 ERA with Double-A Hartford in 2016. The 25-year-old right-hander had an impressive stretch before the All-Star break, going 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA in 27 games out of the bullpen.

Jemiola was a workhorse for Hartford last year, going 8-10 with a 4.39 ERA in 27 starts. He started the year strong, going

3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in April but had some struggles after that. He finished the year surrendering 15 homers while opponents batted .292 against him.

Vasto split time between Class-A Modesto and Hartford last season, totaling a 4-4 mark and 2.26 ERA. In 54 games out of the bullpen, the 24-year-old southpaw struck out 70 in 55.2 innings.

McMahon entered the season as a top 50 prospect for MLB.com, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus but struggled out of the gate in Double-A, logging a .192 average in 21 April games. The 21-year-old hit just .242 on the season but did account for 12 homers and 75 RBI. However, he’ll have to cut down on the 161 strikeouts he had last season.

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Valaika is the only member of the Rafters roster to actually see time with the Rockies this season. Former Colorado manager Walt Weiss had some very complimentary things to say about him right after his call-up. The 24-year-old hit .263 during his 19 games with the Rockies with one homer and two RBI.

The lone Colorado prospect in the outfield, Cuevas started the season in Albuquerque but hit just .234 in 44 games before being sent to Hartford. He sparkled in Double-A, logging a .340 average in 50 games. He was named as the Eastern

League Player of the Month in July. Cuevas batted .425 (37-for-87) with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 14

RBIs, 16 runs scored, two stolen bases, a .440 on-base percentage and a .598 in 23 games during the month.

Salt River will play its home games at Colorado’s spring training facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale.

The season runs from October 11 until the championship game is played on November 19.

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Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado Named Finalist for Award

By Trevor Irvine - October 8, 2016 / Rox Pile

Colorado Rockies third baseman has been named a National League finalist for the 2016 Hank Aaron Award for the league’s top slugger.

Also, the other NL nominees are Jake Lamb of Arizona, of Atlanta, of Chicago, of

Cincinnati, of Los Angeles, of Miami, of Milwaukee, Yoenis Cespedes of New

York, Odubel Herrera of Philadelphia, Gregory Polanco of Pittsburgh, Stephen Piscotty of St. Louis, of San

Diego, Brandon Crawford of San Francisco and of Washington.

“It is truly a joy and an honor that the award recognizing the top offensive performers in the game has my name on it,”

Aaron said via Mark Newman of MLB.com.

Arenado had a superb offensive season. He tied for the NL lead in home runs (41) and led both leagues in RBIs (133). He also had 182 hits, 32 doubles, was second in the NL for slugging percentage (.570) and was second in runs (116).

Furthermore, Arenado’s efforts helped the Rockies lead the NL in team batting average (.275), runs scored (845), RBIs

(805), hits (1,544) and doubles (318).

Additionally, the only Rockie to win the Hank Aaron award is first baseman in 2000.

Fans have the opportunity to vote, with the votes counted alongside a panel of Hall of Famers including Aaron and

Roberto Alomar, , , Ken Griffey Jr., , and Robin Yount.

Here is the link where you can go and vote for Nolan!

Voting goes through October 14.

The winners for each league are announced during the . 32

Let’s get to it and start voting for Arenado. We have another week to make a difference. You can vote up to 10 times per day. Wouldn’t it be great to see another Rockie win this award?

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Gerardo Parra: Issue for Colorado Rockies Next Manager?

By Kevin Henry – October 8, 2016 / Rox Pile

One thing that was both a positive and a negative for Walt Weiss as manager of the Colorado Rockies was his dedication to his players. Even when players didn’t warrant it, as Nolan Arenado recently told The Denver Post, he felt Weiss “always had your back.”

His dedication to his players was obvious with the way that the DJ LeMahieu batting title situation was handled toward the end of the season. Rather than take a chance on LeMahieu not winning the title, Weiss played him sparingly over the final five games of the season. It was a decision that has not been viewed favorably by many throughout the nation. However,

Weiss believed strongly enough that LeMahieu should win the title that he said he would “fall on the sword” for his .

It’s an admirable quality but it was also detrimental at times for the team in 2016, most notably when it came to Gerardo

Parra.

Weiss was adamant to play Parra throughout the season, even when the outfielder signed in the offseason didn’t deserve it. Connor Farrell wrote an all-encompassing article about Parra’s failures for Purple Row, but there is one section of the article that stood out to me.

Parra’s approach at the plate could be politely described as “not ideal.” He walked at a rate of 2.4 percent—that’s nine walks in 381 plate appearances. Over the course of six months and 102 of his baseball games, we all saw Gerardo Parra walk just nine times. Gerardo Parra attempted to steal 10 bases and walked just nine times. Gerardo Parra grounded into

16 double plays and walked just nine times. Gerardo Parra had nine outfield assists and five errors this season. He walked just nine times.

The only thing that kept Weiss from playing Parra more this season was the ankle injury he suffered in mid-June that kept him out of action until August 7. After coming back, Parra hit just .232 with a pair of homers and 12 RBI. He also struck out 33 times in his 125 plate appearances.

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Yet Weiss kept pushing Parra out into the field. When the outfield was stocked with rookie David Dahl, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez, Parra was inserted into the lineup at first base. Playing there for the first time in his career, Parra saw action at first base in 19 games. His Rdrs/yr was -26 while at first base. As a comparison, Mark Reynolds was a 5 this season at first base. Ben Paulsen was a -31 at first base … and he was designated for assignment.

Colorado’s next manager will inherit a plethora of talent, including the aforementioned Arenado, Gonzalez, Dahl,

Blackmon, Trevor Story, and a young, budding starting rotation. He’ll also have Parra on the roster.

Parra is scheduled to make $8 million in 2017 … the same amount he made in 2016. He’ll need to improve dramatically in the offseason or Colorado’s next manager will have to once again figure out how and if Parra fits into the Rockies’ plans

… without pushing him out there every game in the hopes Parra figures it out for himself.

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Jordan Patterson Using 2016 Experience to Build for Future

By Kevin Henry – October 7, 2016 / Rox Pile

Jordan Patterson is hoping his short time with the Colorado Rockies this fall turns into the beginning of a long and fruitful career in Major League Baseball.

After having his contract selected by the Rockies on September 6, Patterson saw action in 10 games. In 18 at-bats, he finished with a .444 average (8-for-18), scoring one run and logging two RBI.

“It was great to be up here in September,” Patterson said. “It was great to have an opportunity to be with these guys and help them win. I didn’t play a ton but I tried to stay locked in and came to the field every day like I was going to play every day. That’s what happened the last two days. I was just happy and blessed to have the opportunity to be here and play hard.”

The last two days of the season were big for Patterson and showed his potential. He went 3-for-5 with a run scored against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night, then followed that with a 3-for-5 performance with a double and two

RBI against the Brewers on Sunday.

Sunday’s performance was clutch to say the least. Patterson drove in one run with a double in the fifth and another with a single in the ninth, tying the game both times.

“It’s kind of nuts how baseball works,” Patterson said. “Saturday night, I had the same opportunity and didn’t get it done.

All I was thinking going into the last at-bat (on Sunday) was, ‘Hey man, you get it again so let’s do something with it.’ I wanted to take a good approach and I got enough of it to flip it into right field. It was cool to have the opportunity and come through.”

Considering Patterson was at Class-A Modesto as recently as 2015, it’s been a quick rise for Patterson. He has much potential but, because of his meteoric rise, has needed to slow the game down in his head.

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“Realizing it’s the same game is important. They’re still throwing from 60 feet, 6 inches,” Patterson said. “There are more fans and more money involved but it’s the same game. For me, I needed to slow the game down. It gives me incentive to go into the offseason and work my tail off and be ready to go next year.”

The 24-year-old went 6-for-10 filling in at first base over the final two games of the season. Showing what he can do in first base as well as the outfield was crucial in Patterson’s mind.

“That’s important. I can play outfield but I have a background at first base, so to show them I can play first base is huge,”

Patterson said. “Anything I can do to help these guys win and be a part of it, I’m willing to do.

“Whatever I can do to help the team win, I’ll do. I’m constantly learning from these guys like CarGo (Carlos Gonzalez) and

Charlie (Blackmon) and picking their brain. I can always evolve as a player. It’s my job to help these guys win and whenever my number is called, do my best, play hard, and give it my best shot. I want to stay locked in and help these guys win.”

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Colorado Rockies: The Five Worst Players of the 2016 Season

By Trevor Irvine – October 8, 2016 / Rox Pile

Yesterday I wrote about the five best players for the Colorado Rockies for the 2016 season. Conversely, today’s edition is the five worst players. Despite winning the most games since 2010, the team had several players who qualified in this category. Rox Pile takes a look at the five worst Rockies from 2016.

You don’t have to be Einstein to know what plagued the Rockies in 2016. Once more it was the pitching.

The starting pitching was OK. It posted a 4.81 ERA (fourth-worst in the National League) but was nearly half a run improvement over 2015 (5.27 ERA).

However, the real culprit was the bullpen. It combined for a 5.05 ERA, which was the worst mark by the pen since 2004

(5.53 ERA). Free agent signings Jake McGee, Chad Qualls and Jason Motte all bombed – they combined for a 5.02 ERA, and allowed 20 home runs combined in 100 1/3 innings, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

Additionally, the fielding by the pitchers was poor – they combined for 21 fielding errors, which was tied for the second- worst mark in the NL with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Offensively, whilst the majority of them had excellent seasons, players such as Nick Hundley, Ryan Raburn, Cristhian

Adames and Gerardo Parra had sub-par performances.

Getting this list down to just five players is no easy task.

Who doesn’t make this list (aka dishonorable mentions) include Hundley (his last six weeks saved him), Adames, Qualls

(saved by injury), Justin Miller, (switched roles) and rookies Matt Carasiti and Carlos Estevez.

Players will be ranked by how poor their season was, how their season was compared to their history and how their season impacted the franchise. Human nature will appear in some cases because, well, we all have players that we find worse and provide less impact than others. 38

Please feel free to compile your list before starting through our rundown of the five worst players of 2016. Which players do you think will be on the list?

Enjoy our rankings of the top-five worst players for the Colorado Rockies in 2016!

No. 5: Ryan Raburn

Look, it would be easy to give Raburn a pass because he was primarily a bench player who came in to pinch hit. He only appeared in 113 games. When the Rockies signed him from the for $1,500,000, he was coming off a

2015 slash line of .301/.393/.543 and had hit eight HRs in 82 games.

What did he do for the team this season? A slash line of .220/.309/.404 and only nine HRs in his 113 games. Not good enough. Heck, he couldn’t even meet his career slash line of .253/.317/.753. He also struck out 80 times in 223 at-bats.

Furthermore, in 60 games in left field he had three errors and just six outfield assists for a poor .960 .

One thing the Rockies offense lacked in 2016 was pop off the bench. Unfortunately Raburn was not the answer and at 35

(he will turn 36 in April) is unlikely to be the answer in 2017.

No. 4: Jorge De La Rosa

De La Rosa seemed to hit the wall in 2016. He did start 27 games, but he was effectively shown the door towards the end of September and his Rockies career is all but over.

This season he went 8-9 with a 5.51 ERA, well above his career ERA of 4.64. What was worse was his team-high 23 HRs allowed, 82 earned runs allowed (third-worst on the team), 63 walks (second-highest) against just 108 strikeouts (second- worst among the starters) and a WHIP of 1.64 (worst mark among the starters).

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Overall, he has had a great Rockies career. He has 86 wins for the franchise (team record), 1,181 strikeouts (also a team record) and a 53-20 record at Coors Field.

His final start of the season on September 20 against the Cardinals was typical of his year – 4 ⅔ innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits. He also walked three and hit two batters.

The best pitch he had all year was the split-finger changeup, but his fastball and the rest of his command labored, leading to a lot of hits and short outings.

I commend De La Rosa for a terrific Rockies career. His success at home was extraordinary. He was a great servant of the club. But this year was proof his time is up and he was an easy choice for this list.

No. 3: Jason Motte

Motte was another free-agent signing for 2016 which simply did not work out, to put it politely. He made $5,000,000 this season (tied for fifth-highest on the team) and what did he produce?

Because of injury (right rotator cuff strain) he only appeared in 30 games and was the friend of the disabled list. When he was on the mound, he went 0-1 with a 4.94 ERA. In 23 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 28 hits, 13 earned runs, six HRs and a WHIP of 1.52.

Motte was signed to provide a veteran presence and stability to the bullpen. I’m sure he provided the veteran presence without any issues, but he didn’t provide any stability. He was another issue out of many.

Simply put, the salary and the production did not match up for Motte in 2016. He is scheduled to make another $5 million in 2017. Do the Rockies really want to pay this to an under-performing 35-year-old reliever?

I doubt it.

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No. 2: Jake McGee

Oh dear, where do you start with McGee?

The hope when the Rockies traded outfielder Corey Dickerson for McGee and German Marquez was for McGee to lock down the closer role. In his previous two seasons in Tampa, he had combined for 25 saves and a 2.15 ERA.

McGee’s fastball was consistently around the 94-96 MPH mark in Tampa. However, for the Rockies this season his fastball dipped to the 91-93 MPH area and it flattened out alarmingly, making it a fat pitch in the majority of his appearances.

Sure enough, as a result his performance suffered. A 2-3 record, a 4.73 ERA, 56 hits allowed in just 45 2/3 innings, 24 earned runs, nine HRs allowed, a mere 38 strikeouts and a .301 batting average against.

These numbers all make for ugly reading.

McGee was the seventh-highest paid player on the team in 2016 with a $4,800,000 salary. This was a lot of money for a guy who lost his closer’s job and was hobbled by a knee injury.

Very little went right for McGee in 2016 and this trade didn’t work for the Rockies. Yes, Marquez shows a lot of promise and is a contender to start in 2017, which makes this trade not a complete loss.

One positive for McGee was he showed improvement in August, where his strikeouts went back up, his command improved (2.4 BB/9 in 11.1 innings pitched), and he only allowed one home run in that span.

Whether this is enough for the Rockies to bring back McGee in 2017 remains to be seen. Despite the late improvement, his season was disappointing and he was a no-doubter for this list.

No. 1: Gerardo Parra

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For me, the clear disappointment in 2016 for the team was outfielder-turned-first baseman Gerardo Parra.

Parra was signed to a three-year, $27.5 million free agent contract in the offseason. There was a lot of hope he could bring extra pop to the lineup and improve the outfield defense.

Let’s be honest – his season was ruined by the ankle injury he suffered when he collided with shortstop Trevor Story, forcing him to miss significant time. But when he was on the field, his output was simply not good enough.

His slash line for 2016 was .253/.271/.671. This compares with his career slash line of .274/.321/.724. Last season he hit

14 HRs, this year he hit seven. Additionally, he walked 28 times in 2015, this year he walked only nine times.

Parra showed poor plate discipline, swinging early in the count and bailing out pitchers who were struggling to throw strikes. He continued to swing early in the count even when the team had runners in scoring position and the situation was begging for pitch selection and working the count in his favor.

In 368 at-bats he struck out 73 times versus in 2015 when he struck out only 92 times in 547 at-bats. He grounded into 16 double plays which was his worst mark since his rookie year in 2009.

Connor Farrell of Purple Row explains his season in a nutshell:

What he brought instead was one of the worst individual seasons in team history. Parra’s -2.8 bWAR was so bad, fans began to practically beg the team to leave him on the bench near the end of the year. Parra’s defense wasn’t abysmal by any means, but his bat and more specifically his eye was among the worst anyone who has even watched an inning of baseball has ever seen.

No matter which way you look at it, his salary didn’t get anywhere near matching his on-field production.

The Rockies need to have a serious think during this offseason and determine whether Parra’s scheduled $8,000,000

2017 salary is worth the investment. Hopefully he can turn things around, but the team can ill-afford another repeat of

2016, especially with the team perhaps on the verge of contending.

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It wouldn’t be a shock to see none of these listed players to be in a Rockies uniform in 2017. On-field production and their salaries are not matching up. No doubt whoever is the next manager will get to have a say in their respective futures.

It’s going to be an interesting, but also important, offseason for the Colorado Rockies.

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Colorado Rockies Continue Shakeup, Release Four Coaches

By Kevin Henry – October 9, 2016 / Rox Pile

The rebuild of the Colorado Rockies is in full effect.

According to a source quoted by Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, four coaches from the Colorado staff will not be coming back for the 2017 season.

It is said that the Rockies will not be bringing back bench coach Tom Runnells, hitting coach Blake Doyle, catching coach

Rene Lachemann and first base-outfield coach Eric Young. They join skipper Walt Weiss as now former members of the

Colorado Rockies coaching circle.

We had mentioned Young as a possible managerial candidate in an article shortly after Weiss resigned his position. It now appears that that is no longer an option.

While the four coaches mentioned above are gone, three other members of the coaching staff seem to still be with the

Rockies … at least for now. Pitching coach Steve Foster, bullpen coach Darren Holmes and third base coach Stu Cole remain with the team.

Each of the coaches let go had been with the organization for at least three seasons.

Doyle just finished his third season as the Rockies hitting coach. He was brought in to the Rockies before the 2014 season with no Major League playing or coaching experience. Prior to his stint in Colorado, Doyle spent 36 years helping run a baseball school in Orlando, Fla.

“My job is not fix swings or tell them, ‘Here’s what you’re doing wrong,'” Doyle told Thomas Harding of MLB.com in 2014.

“My job is to be the guy they can come back to and says, ‘Now you know my swing, you know my routine, what are you seeing different?’ Let’s get back to what’s right. We can go crazy trying to figure out what you’re doing incorrectly. You may never figure out what was incorrect. Who cares? Now we’re back doing the right thing again. Every hitter is different.

That’s why it takes time to build a relationship.” 44

Lachemann, who had spent the past three seasons as the Rockies catching coach and defensive coordinator, was the coach with the most experience on the team. He had just concluded his 53rd consecutive campaign as a coach in .

Runnells completed his seventh full season, and eighth season overall, as Colorado’s bench coach. This past season was his 13th with the Rockies organization.

Finishing his third season as the first base coach for the Rockies, Young spent plenty of time with the organization. He played with Colorado in 1993-97 and had tremendous success during his days on the field in Denver. He was not only the team’s first base coach, but also oversaw the club’s outfield and baserunning instruction.

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The Colorado Rockies most-likely candidate for manager will come from in-house

By Chris Bohn - October 8, 2016 / Mile High Sports

As the sun sets on the Rockies 2016 season, they are on the search for a new manager to lead this team. Walt Weiss was 283-365 as the manager for Colorado during the four years in the managerial position. Some may feel like he was never given the talent to succeed. Others push the lack of winning on Weiss and criticize the majority of his managerial decisions.

After the final game of the season, Weiss knew it wasn’t working so he resigned from his position. This gives the Rockies a fresh start in 2017.

This team is notorious for hiring from within the organization. This leads many to believe someone like Glenallen Hill could fall in line to take the position.

“When I look at this team, they have done a pretty good job replenishing this roster from within,” Tom Harding told Gil

Whiteley on Mile High Sports Radio. “They have a lot of confidence in their development system. They have some interesting humans in the system. Glenallen Hill is a very good teacher of the game.”

Hill has spent 14 seasons as a manager and coach within the Rockies organization. He is now managing the Albuquerque

Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Rockies. You could certainly say he’s paid his dues.

One of the positives of hiring Hill to lead this young team would be the smooth transition. This roster is full of players just coming out of the minor leagues. Hill has been in the minors managing players like Trevor Story, David Dahl and Jon

Gray. The relationship between him and most of these key players in the lineup have already been developed. There will be no new introductions for the majority of the roster.

For a group of young players learning to play in the big leagues, it seems like a no-brainer to bring in someone who has coached and directed these kids through the minor league system.

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The Rockies are known for building and hiring within the organization. Thinking they will do the same with this job opening is not a far fetched thought. If they do decide to keep it in-house, Hill seems to be the best fit.

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What the Colorado Rockies coaching carousel really means

By Drew Creasman - October 9, 2016 / BSN Denver

DENVER — As first reported by Bob Nightengale last night, the Colorado Rockies have released most of the remaining coaching staff, giving walking papers to Rene Lachemann, Eric Young, Tom Runnells, and Blake Doyle.

Pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes remain along with base coach Stu Cole — who some believe may be in the running for the open manager position — and , who likely is not.

These moves, much like the earlier dismissal of Walt Weiss, seemed inevitable after the decision was made not to bring back Weiss, the man at the top of the totem pole. Presumably — though no necessarily given modern day propensity for

GMs to have more say in certain matters — whoever is hired as the new manager of the Rockies will have some say in filling out the other recently vacated positions.

It is interesting that the two-headed pitching coach returns but it’s easy to see it as merited after the phenomenal year the

Rockies starting rotation just put together. Though, Foster and Holmes surely bear some responsibility for the performance of the bullpen, so that will be something to keep an eye on going forward.

Stu Cole is nothing short of adored in the clubhouse but BSN Denver cannot in good conscience endorse a promotion for a man who has been in charge of a running game that has been questionable at best over the last few years. It’s always hard to tell how much of that ultimately falls back on the manager, but if you can’t hold the base-running coach accountable for bad base running, who can you?

The dismissal of the original EY will surely be tough for some fans considering his long-time ties to the organization. It also means that Castilla — at this time — is the only coach left on staff who played games as a Colorado Rockie, and potential wisdom that comes from experiencing Coors Field and it’s hangover effect remains an ongoing debate among experts.

It’s clear that the Rockies are searching for a new identity in the coaching department and we will have an in-depth report for you tomorrow morning on the nearly 20 people we think have even a remote chance of taking the reigns of this team. 48

But what last night’s move cemented is that GM Jeff Bridich is determined not to let the window of contention that is quickly approaching go by under business as usual.

Kind of like when the Denver Nuggets drafted Carmelo Anthony and then went through a series of sweeping image changes as a way of trying to shirk the bad karma of the past, these moves seem to be as much about coaching ability as they are about ushering in a new era of Colorado Rockies baseball that feels different in as many ways as possible.

Come to think of it, now would a great time to debut a new logo or a new uniform as well. This is not to say that all these changes are cosmetic, who the big wigs choose to manage the team will tell us a lot about their priorities toward winning.

They could render much of this speculation nonsense if they do hire Cole or otherwise stay in-house. Or they could go the other way and for the first time in a long time, bring in some new blood, change things up, and come into spring training

2017 with the most amount of excitement surrounding the Rockies since 2010.

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Managerial vacancies: Black the front-runner in Atlanta; Rockies' search begins

Jim Bowden - ESPN Senior Writer – 6:57 AM MT / ESPN.com

As I reported last week, Bud Black is the favorite to be the next manager of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have interviewed several internal candidates, including interim manager Brian Snitker, Eddie Perez, Terry Pendleton and Bo

Porter. They also interviewed former manager Ron Washington.

Black is the best candidate of the group because of his pitching background. The Braves' future is built around the many good starting pitchers throughout their farm system. Black's ability to run a game was clear in San Diego, where he was one of the best at winning close games. He's a great communicator and is well respected by players, coaches and executives. His long-term relationship with team president John Hart both professionally and personally also doesn't hurt.

While calling the Dodgers-Nationals division series for ESPN Radio, I got to visit with first-year Dodgers manager Dave

Roberts in his office before every game. Roberts mentions Black's name on almost a daily basis, referring to how much he learned from Black. When you consider all the managers Roberts either played for or worked under, it speaks volumes that Black was the most influential to him.

Roberts added that he hopes Black doesn't end up managing in the NL West, which brings us to the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, the only teams beside the Braves that have managerial vacancies.

Diamondbacks GM and manager search

The D-backs have made it clear their new general manager will select the new manager, so they're focusing on filling that position first. They have cast a wide net, and they're looking for an experienced executive who has strong leadership skills and a background in both analytics and scouting. Derrick Hall, the team's CEO and president, has a long list of candidates to speak with, including two former Dodgers executives, ex-GM Ned Colletti and ex-assistant GM Kim Ng. Hall got to know those two when he worked for the Dodgers. The team is also looking at two internal candidates, assistant GM Brian

Minnitti and farm director Mike Bell.

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The Diamondbacks were embarrassed with the performance of the former regime and want to make sure they make the right front-office hires this time, bringing on people who are clued in to how teams operate in this day and age. Although the new GM will select the next manager, one internal candidate, , has a lot of support within the organization and will be a strong candidate no matter who takes over the GM role.

Rockies search for manager about to begin

GM Jeff Bridich, right, has plenty of good candidates to consider for the Rockies' managerial gig. AP Photo/David

Zalubowski

Rockies GM Jeff Bridich has made it clear he's in no rush to hire a new manager; he wants to take his time and pick the right guy. He'll have a number of great candidates to speak with once he begins, including Black (if the Braves don't hire him), , Alex Cora, Fredi Gonzalez, Ron Washington, , Bo Porter, Tony Pena, Ron Wotus,

Glenallen Hill, Eddie Perez, Phil Nevin, and Moises Alou, who managed the World team at this year's

Futures Game.

Other executive/manager notes

Boston Red Sox: There have been some rumblings that if the Red Sox lose their division series to the Cleveland Indians, manager could be in trouble. However, a front-office source told me that was not the case, and Farrell was safe regardless of how the team does this postseason. Farrell was almost fired earlier this year, so if he does keep the job, he'll start the 2017 season on the hot seat.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins made a great hire when they pegged Derek Falvey from the Indians to be their president of baseball operations. Falvey graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, with an economics degree and worked his way from an internship in 2007 to assistant GM with Cleveland. His training over the years from Blue Jays president/CEO Mark Shapiro and Indians president Chris Antonetti has prepared him for this opportunity. He has a lot of work to do to get the Twins up to speed, especially from an analytics point of view, and I applaud the Twins for going outside the organization. They really needed a fresh, unbiased look at their entire baseball operations department so they can make vast improvements over a short period of time. 51

Chicago White Sox: The team's hiring of Rick Renteria gave us a clear vision of what's next for them: rebuilding. Former manager was tired of losing and probably knew that more of it was in his future, which was why he stepped down. He'll probably get a chance to manage again, but getting away from it for a year or two will benefit him for his next go-round.

In the meantime, Renteria takes the reins. Many in the industry consider him an elite development-type manager, and he was an excellent choice if the team plans to get younger. The White Sox listened at the trade deadline on all their players, including Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Melky Cabrera. They don't have to trade any of them, but they'd consider it if it helped the team down the road. With such a thin free-agent market for starting pitchers, Chicago should be able to get massive hauls in return for Sale and/or Quintana. Also, with such a low inventory of third basemen available,

Frazier also would bring back a strong package of prospects.

The White Sox could be the team to watch at this year's winter meetings in Washington, D.C., this December.

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