There are so many questions to ask Paul DePodesta, the Rockies’ new president of baseball operations. Not the least of which is, “What did you think about actor Jonah Hill’s portrayal of you?”
The husky Hill played Peter Brand in “Moneyball,” the 2011 movie about the Oakland Athletics’ celebrated use of sabermetrics during the 2002 season. Brand’s character was only partially based on DePodesta, who was a deputy under A’s general manager Billy Beane. DePodesta, for the record, is not husky. In fact, DePodesta was an athletic Harvard graduate who played both football and baseball in college.
But I digress. For DePodesta, fixing the 119-loss Rockies is going to be a lot more difficult than rebooting the ’02 A’s, who won the American League West title, not only by relying on analytics (as exaggerated in the movie), but because their starting pitching trio of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder was terrific.
My first set of questions for DePodesta: How much autonomy will you have to shape your front office? Will you be allowed to bring in your own people, or will the Monforts — owner Dick Monfort and his son Walker, the executive vice president — resist your efforts?
It’s a natural question, but even more relevant considering Walker’s statement on Friday when the Rockies made DePodesta’s hiring official.
“Hiring Paul is an essential first step to the evolution of our baseball department, and we’re confident that he will not only maximize our current personnel but will also bring in additional leaders from outside the organization to help lead us forward,” Walker said.
I’m wondering what “maximize our current personnel” means. Is it a red flag? Will the Monforts stand in the way if DePodesta wants to sweep some folks out the door? Or will they embrace new faces and ideas?
My second question is more basic: “Will you keep Warren Schaeffer as your manager, or will you bring in someone new to lead the team on the field?”
Schaeffer was the interim manager last season after taking over for Bud Black. Schaffer’s record (36-86) was terrible, but he didn’t have much major league-ready talent to work with. He did connect with the Rockies’ young players, and he kept the team’s spirits high amid a disastrous season. At the very least, Schaeffer should get an interview, and he should get a chance to be the bench coach if he wants that job.
Schaeffer would be a valuable bridge to the team’s future. Because let’s face it, the Rockies’ rebuild is going to take a while, so why hire a pricey, veteran manager who’s going to end up pulling out his hair?
The third set of questions revolves around DePodesta’s choice for the Rockies’ new general manager.
• Will you consider hiring former Twins GM Thad Levine, who was your boyhood friend in Virginia?
• How will you divide duties between you and the incoming GM?
• Since you have a deep background in analytics, will you hire a GM with a different skill set?
Fourth set of questions: When it comes to baseball decisions, what will be the hierarchy in the Rockies front office? In other words, when it comes to trades, free-agent signings and drafting, what’s the pecking order?
The fifth query is crucial. Given that DePodesta has been out of baseball for a decade while working for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns as their chief strategy officer, it’s only fair to ask, “Are you up to speed on baseball?”
“I have always kept my eye on baseball, and this is an incredible opportunity to help make an impact in the next chapter of the Rockies,” DePodesta said in a statement on Friday.
When DePodesta was in Oakland, he used sabermetrics to give the small-market club a chance to compete against wealthier teams. He was cutting-edge two decades ago.
However, baseball has now fully embraced technologies such as data analytics and AI for performance analysis. And teams utilize tracking systems, such as Trackman and Rapsodo, that measure pitch speed, spin rate, and other key metrics. A lot has changed in baseball over the last decade.
So, the question for DePodesta is, “How knowledgeable are you with baseball technology, and will the skills you used in the NFL transfer over?”
Finally, there is this. Since Cleveland hired DePodesta in January 2016, the Browns are 56-99-1. So the question: “Why do you think you can turn around the Rockies’ fortunes?”
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.