Rockies Journal: GM Bill Schmidt backs Bud Black amid historically bad start. “Good things are going to happen.”

Saturday, May. 04, 2024

The Rockies are off to the worst start in franchise history, and questions need to be asked.

They entered a weekend series at Pittsburgh with a 7-24 record, putting them on pace to finish 37-125. While they will likely improve on their .226 winning percentage, enabling them to avoid contending with the expansion 1962 New York Mets (40-120) as one of the worst teams in MLB history, another 100-loss season appears probable.

The Rockies, amid a youth movement, have intriguing talent on the current roster and in their farm system, but they are a bad team right now. Following a 5-4, 10-inning loss at Miami on Thursday, manager Bud Black called a team meeting during which he urged the team to keep playing for one another and ride out the storm.

Still, coming off last year’s 103-loss season, the Rockies face significant issues.

With that in mind, I spoke with general manager Bill Schmidt in a one-on-one interview. Now in his third full season as the GM, Schmidt expressed frustration with how the Rockies are playing, but he made it clear that he believes the club is headed in the right direction.

Q: Obviously, this is not the start you wanted. What’s been the biggest issue?

Schmidt: I think it’s been clear. It’s been the inconsistency of our offense. We do have some young players on the team, but there were a number of guys who got off to slow starts — (Nolan) Jones, (Kris) Bryant, (Brendan) Rodgers — guys we expected more from.

We have been in a lot of games, but we haven’t figured out how to win those games. Kyle (Freeland) had a couple of rough starts in the beginning, but for the most part, our starting pitching has kept us in games. But at the end of the day, we haven’t gotten the big hit to put us ahead, to get us back into the game, to win a game. For me, it comes back to our offense and our lack of execution.

Q: Is the poor offense because of the team’s strategy and approach?

Schmidt: It’s not about our strategy. We just need to put the ball in play. We strike out too much, we chase, and we chase outside the zone. We average (10.2) strikeouts per game. That’s too many. Our guys care, and they are trying hard, but they have to be more disciplined.

(Hitting coach Hensley) Bam Bam (Meulens) and those guys talk about that all the time. They talk about the strike zone and being patient. The work ethic is great. Guys are trying, but at the end of the day, guys aren’t getting it done.

Q: But wasn’t that the major emphasis in the offseason? To be a more disciplined and productive offense?

Schmidt: We talk about it all the time. We have to keep grinding through it. We have some young guys who are trying to establish themselves at the major league level. At some point, you have to focus on somebody else and not necessarily yourself.

Sometimes, you want to do so well for yourself and, ultimately, for the team. But rather than focusing on yourself, the focus should be, ‘I’m going to pick somebody else up, and I am going to do this for my teammates.” That’s a little bit of what we are going through.

Q: Is the losing simply because of a lack of talent on the roster?

Schmidt: I don’t think so. At the end of the day, it’s about getting the job done. I think, physically, we have the tools and the raw talent. We just aren’t executing and getting the job done.

There are some positives. We talked about (Ryan McMahon) in the offseason. Mac made some adjustments. There was a point in April where the strikeouts went up a little bit, but for the most part, he had a good first month. (McMahon entered the weekend slashing .316/.407/.491 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.)

And (shortstop Ezequiel) Tovar had a good month. Even though he has to cut down on the chase, there have been some positives with him. And you look at our catching and I think Elias Diaz and (Jacob) Stallings had good months. There are some positives. (Center fielder) Brenton Doyle made some good adjustments this winter, and he’s played well. (.300/.347/.464 three homers, eight RBIs).

Q: Buddy called a team meeting after Thursday’s loss in Miami. I get the sense that the frustration level within the club is high, but there is no finger-pointing in the clubhouse. Am I correct?

Schmidt: No finger-pointing. Not at all. Buddy basically told the guys to stay together. Guys are frustrated. At the end of the day, you have to get the job done.

We have had a tough schedule and played some good teams, but that’s no excuse. We still have to execute, and the bottom line is that we haven’t executed. It’s not because there isn’t a want-to. But I will say that Tuesday night’s game (when Colorado blew a 5-0 lead in the ninth and lost 7-6 to the Marlins in 10 innings) was a kick in the gut.

Q: During spring training, there was talk about Buddy’s contract extension, but that hasn’t happened yet. Many people will look at your 7-24 record and ask, ‘What is the manager doing wrong?” Fans want to hold someone to be held accountable. What are your thoughts?

Schmidt: I think Buddy and the coaches are doing a very good job.

Q: Why do you say that?

Schmidt: Because of the work ethic of the players. Our guys are playing hard. The effort level is there, night in and night out. That’s what I see.

Q: What’s going on with Kris Bryant? He’s only played 13 games and is hitting .149. He was supposed to be a big part of your offense.

Schmidt: It’s still the back (injury). He’s feeling better. He’s back in Denver. Is he going to be back with the team when we get home (from the road trip)? I don’t know. I do know he’s starting to do baseball activities. He wants to play catch and things like that. I don’t have a timetable for his return.

Q: Are you concerned that all of the losses will have a hangover effect, especially on the young players? Do you think this will create a losing culture?

Schmidt: No, no, I don’t. Good things are going to happen. Some good things are going on in the (farm) system. And I think some of the young kids we have now, and those coming up through the system, see this as an opportunity to change things.

Q: What positive things can you pull out of this rough start?

Schmidt: The growth and maturity of some of the players. I think of Brenton Doyle’s progress. I look at the left side of our infield with Mac and Tovar. We have a chance to be good over there for a while.

Diaz and Stallings have done a good job behind the plate. I’m excited to see what (rookie outfielder Jordan) Beck does. I think he brings a little bit of strut. When we get Nolan Jones back, and we can play Beck in right field, we have a chance to have a very athletic, talented outfield. I’m looking forward to that.

For the most part, the starting rotation has been OK. (Cal) Quantrill goes out there and competes and (Ryan) Feltner has shown some growth.

Bullpen-wise, it’s not a great bullpen. But a guy who struggled in spring training, (Victor) Vodnik, has been a positive the first month. (Nick) Mears has shown some growth, but he still has to get better. (Left-hander) Jalen Beeks has been good.

Q: Will you bring up more young players in the coming months, guys like catcher Drew Romo and outfielder Zac Veen?

Schmidt: They will tell us when they are ready. I’m not going to rule it out. I think we are building some things in the middle of the diamond. I was hoping (Nolan) Jones wouldn’t take a step back like he did in the first month, but he hasn’t lost his talent. The talent is still there.

Q: So, where is this team right now?

Schmidt: We got off to a bad start that we weren’t planning on. At the end of the day, it’s easy to say that. But the fans, I know, they want to see results, and I realize that. I understand that. We have to play better baseball. It starts with our offense.

Raw Numbers

Entering the weekend series against the Pirates, the numbers paint a vivid picture of the Rockies’ poor start to the season:

• 7-24: Colorado’s record, the worst start in franchise history and worst in the National League.

• One: Number of victories for the starting pitchers through 31 games, the fewest in the majors.

• Minus-75: Rockies’ run differential, the second worst in the majors. They had been outscored 192-117.

• Minus-24: Rockies’ run differential in the first inning, worst in the majors. They had been outscored 39-15.

• 5.92: ERA for the pitching staff, the highest in the majors.

• 6.46: ERA for starters (highest).

• 5.20: ERA for relievers (fourth-highest).

• 6.48: Strikeouts per nine innings by Rockies pitchers (fewest).

• 4.06: Walks allowed per nine innings (fifth-most).

• 1.16: Home runs allowed per nine innings (ninth-most).

• .238: Team batting average (17th).

• .670: Team OPS (10th).

• 24: Homes runs (26th).

• .237: Average with runners in scoring position (10th).

• .179: Average with runners in scoring position and two outs (27th).

• 27.2%: Strikeout rate (second-highest).

• 7.6%: Walk rate (fifth-lowest).

•  32.9: Chase rate (second-highest).

• 11: Stolen bases (last).

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