With Major League Baseballâs General Manager meeting starting today in Las Vegas, new Colorado Rockies President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta will be representing his new employers with plans to hire a General Manager in short order.
After that, theyâve got to decide who will be managing the team on the field next season.
Considering DePostedaâs sabermetric background, itâs safe to assume his GM pick will share his sabermetrics philosophy. Itâs also safe to assume that the next manager wonât be an old-school type whoâs opposed to the use of analytics. When DePosteda worked for Billy Beane in Oakland (think âMoneyballâ) they clashed with then-Aâs Manager Art Howe. So you can cross Howe, and guys like him, off the list.
Here are five guys for the Rockies to consider:
Joe Maddon. Yes, heâs a touch old-school and yes he was frustrated with the over-emphasis on the use of analytics at his last stop. And maybe he doesnât want to manage anymore. But if he does, his history as the skipper in Tampa, where the Rays use of sabermetrics is well-known and appaulded, shows that heâs not opposed to working in that direction. Maddon has proven he can do a lot with a little, which would be music to the ears of Rockies ownership. In almost two decades of managing, he was voted Manager of the Year three times, won both the AL with Tampa and the NL with Chicago â and led the Cubs to a World Series title. And then thereâs the fact that Maddon LOVES the Denver-Boulder region of the country and would be thrilled to relocate there.
Don Mattingly. Donny Baseball came the width of a cleat away from winning his first World Series ring as a Toronto Blue Jays assistant coach. Alas, it was not to beâ¦and it wouldnât happen anytime soon if he accepted the Rockies gig, either. Mattinglyâs was on a Hall of Fame trajectory as a player before injuries derailed him. He hasnât had that level of success as the skipper of both the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but did take four teams to the postseason during his 12 years as a manager. Heâs probably going to end up being the bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jeff Banister. Itâs no secret that former catchers make the best big league managers. Like Maddon, Banister is a former catcher with big league managing experience. Heâs currently the bench coach for the Rockies rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks and likely would have been the choice for Rockies manager if Amiel Sawdaye had become the teamâs President of Baseball Ops instead of DePodesta. Thereâs no telling how the Rockies brass feels about Banister, but heâs got the resume. He was better than .500 as the manager of the Texas Rangers for four seasons. Right now, that would look pretty good to Rockies fans.
Tony Wolters. If the Rockies wanted to go crazy young, they could elevate their former starting catcher (who is just 33 years old) turned minor league bench coach to the big league managerâs job. Wolters got the big hit that propelled the Rockies past Maddon and the Cubs in the 2018 wild card play-in game. He played for six different big league teams and played infield as well as catcher. Heâs well versed in the game and could relate to the young players on the Colorado roster. Still, itâs probably too soon.
Warren Schaffer. Being 50 games under .500 as a manager is hardly something youâd highlight on your resume. But the 40-year-old first time big league skipper was thrust into an unwinnable situation as the Rockies interim manager. As Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said after his friend Bud Black was fired, âCasey Stengel couldnât win with that roster.â Schaffer is a âliferâ in the Rockies system, where he has both played and coached. Even if heâs not kept on as the big league manager, he will no doubt have a coaching job in the minor leagues â or perhaps return to his job as the teamâs third base coach.
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