Tuesday Rockpile: Paul DePodesta builds trust and a team of nerds [complimentary]

Look, I’m just going to say it: It’s a weird time to be a fan of the Colorado Rockies.

Like me, you’re probably well conditioned to the rhythms of a typical Rockies offseason: It starts with a few minor coaching changes and maybe some DFAs and a non-tender or two. Then Dick Monfort sends his annual letter to the fans explaining (again) that the season that just ended was a disappointment and promising to do better. There is one holiday Dinger video and some minor league signings that eventually end up on the MLB roster.

And then it’s time for spring training as a preface to another losing season.

This year, Walker Monfort took the reins and hired Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations. The changes have been fast and furious and – I’ll be honest – a little disorienting.

Grant Brisbee pretty much sums things up with this message:

You know, I’m okay with the disorientation.

Reader, I want all the disorientation, all the rebuilding, all the “please ignore our mess” while the new Colorado Rockies are built. But I have to say that it takes some getting used to on my part.

Since being hired, DePodesta has taken charge like a man possessed, and if you’re a regular Purple Rower, you know we’ve discussed a slew of moves: a new general manager, Josh Byrnes (a former Los Angeles Dodger, no less); a new senior vice president and chief revenue and strategy officer, Nicky Schmidt; new front office staff; a new coaching staff led by Alon Leichman on the pitching side and Brett Pill on the hitting side; and a new bench coach, Jeff Pickler.

The only real remnant of The Before Times is director Warren Schaeffer and part of his coaching staff, but the decision to keep him becomes even clearer in light of all the other changes. He and his returning staff are the bridge between what is to come and a very young clubhouse. Scott Oberg and Clint Hurdle will also help establish continuity between the old regime and the new, in roles that are not yet clearly defined.

Look, trust and a degree of stability are important in any venture like this.

In addition, Schaeffer will use his communication skills to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

And that’s before DePodesta and his staff turn their attention to roster building.

When the Rockies embarked on this project, there were – understandably I think – some questions on the part of fans and perhaps parts of the media about the sincerity of this venture. After all, the Rockies had previously promised to get better, but, well, not better.

What we’re seeing here, as DePodesta builds his staff, is an exercise in trust. Just as a young Rockies team learned to trust Schaeffer last season, the new front office staff and coaches have put their reputations on the line and must trust Walker Monfort to support this change. This new leadership team is significantly younger than the previous one, as Joelle Milholm has noted, and significantly less connected to the organization through loyalty.

But they’re also nerdier – much nerdier – a trait evident in their resumes and the winning histories of the teams they’ve chosen to leave. And let’s not forget, they chose to leave some of the best teams in the MLB to one of the historically worst.

There are two things at work here, I think.

First, they trust Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes. Both are front office leaders with a history of winning, and their reputations are critical to the front office reboot we are seeing.

Second, like all good baseball nerds, they are drawn to Coors Field’s Siren song and try to solve the ultimate baseball question: Is it possible to play winning baseball at altitude?

In response, they bring their best and nerdiest ideas.

If Byrnes said it when asked about the coming changes: “Reimagining it and just thinking about what might work, what might not work. See it’s in every ballpark, and some of it is specific to Coors (Field).”

Here’s DePodesta when Leichman’s hiring was announced:

“In some of the conversations we’ve had with some of these pitchers, they’ve said, ‘Well, what do you think about this? Or what do you think about that?’ . . . . And I told them everything is on the table. We just approach it with a very open mentality. We know that things have been tried, and we want to learn from them as best we can.

We also have some good, objective data internally about some different things that might work, and other things that might not work so well. We have already had some interesting discussions and I am very encouraged about the direction things are already going.”

It’s a baseball nerd club built on analysis and trust, with DePodesta being one of the original baseball nerds whose story was codified by Michael Lewis. And it’s exactly what the Colorado Rockies need.

DePodesta also made this comment: according to Thomas Hardingwhat is worth mentioning:

“You’ll find that a lot of these people have a wide range of experience in different areas… But they have this foundation in evaluation, and whether that’s with amateur players or professional players or scouting work, that foundation is very important.”

So there seems to be two major initiatives for 2026: the first is building infrastructure, and we’re seeing that happening now. The second is about player evaluation. The new team will take stock of the Rockies roster and make decisions on which players will stay and those who will be moved.

And the same way DePodesta builds trust with his staff and the Rockies roster, he’s going to build trust with fans.

Who cares about disorientation anyway?

Sign me up. I also want to join the Mile High Nerd Club.

For your viewing pleasure

Please enjoy this video of the Colorado Rockies – well, especially Hunter Goodman – hitting some baseballs.

DePodesta left the MLB in 2015. How has the game changed since then? | MLB.com

Travis Sawchik gives Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta a quick overview of what he missed during his decade in the NFL.

Murakami’s deal is a huge stain on the Phillies and these five MLB teams | Fan-sided

Would it have been cool if the Rockies had signed Murakami? Certainly. Was it necessary? No.

Touching Base: MLB Managers Share the Most Important Part of Their Jobs in 2026 | Fox sports

Warren Schaeffer appears in this article by Rowan Kavner. And that most important part of his job? Notice. “I learned that I would like to have more conversations with players on a daily basis,” Schaeffer said. “I think that’s a great strength of mine. I need to use it more often, develop leaders behind closed doors.”

To Schaeffer’s comments, Kavner added: “Almost universally, front office managers and chief executives surveyed at the Winter Meetings agreed that the ability to communicate well was the most essential quality of a good manager in today’s game.”

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