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Tag: bill schmidt

  • Rockies designate Michael Toglia for assignment, trade for lefty

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    The Rockies’ search for a consistent, power-hitting first baseman is back to square one.

    On Tuesday, the club designated 2019 first-round draft choice Michael Toglia for assignment as it reset its 40-man roster. The strikeout-prone Toglia, selected out of UCLA with the 23rd overall pick, never became the player that former general manager Bill Schmidt envisioned.

    In 280 games over parts of four big-league seasons, Toglia slashed .201/.278/.389 (.666 OPS) with 42 home runs. Though Toglia showed flashes of power, his high strikeout rate made him a liability at the major league level. For his career, Toglia has a 35% strikeout rate, including a 39.2% K rate in 2025.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Grading The Week: Broncos’ passing woes wouldn’t be saved by Jaylen Waddle at NFL trade deadline

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    Jaylen Waddle can’t throw the ball to himself.

    It’s kind of been the worst “best” week for the Broncos that anybody on the Grading The Week (GTW) crew can remember.

    After all, the orange and blue went 2-0 over the last seven days to extend Denver’s lead atop the AFC West with an 8-2 record. The Broncos set up a showdown with the Chiefs (5-4) at Empower Field on Nov. 16 that could officially end the Mahomes-Reid stranglehold on the division.

    It’s how they got there. A victory over the Texans (18-15) was due to a brilliant defense and a very timely injury to Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud. A win over the Raiders (10-7) on Thursday night was an exercise in sheer agony. Brilliant defense again, but mostly agony.

    In between the games, Sean Payton was grouchier than usual. And on Tuesday, despite being on track for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Broncos elected to stand pat as the trade deadline came and went. Marcedes Lewis, the 41-year-old “blocking” tight end, was Broncos Country’s midseason acquisition of note. Everybody dance!

    Broncos at the NFL trade deadline — D

    Payton insisted midweek that he had everything he needed inside Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. Against Vegas, his offense showed him otherwise.

    Several reports over the last few weeks had the Broncos sniffing around at offensive additions, primarily at wide receiver. Denver was allegedly a suitor for New Orleans wideout Rashid Shaheed, only to be pipped by the Seahawks.

    NFL reporter Jordan Schultz then claimed the Broncos reached out to the Dolphins to inquire about Shaheed clone Jaylen Waddle, only to find the reported asking price — a first-round draft pick, at the least — to be too steep.

    Considering the Colts (7-2) coughed up two first-round picks to free star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets, it puzzled the kids in the GTW offices why the Broncos wouldn’t consider a corresponding move in kind. Nix will only be on a rookie contract for so long, and the Broncos’ cap situation improves significantly in 2026.

    Waddle would be an upgrade over Troy Franklin. But we’re not sure he’d be a significant improvement over Marvin Mims Jr., assuming the latter is good to go. And it would be a waste of a first-rounder to land a guy that Sean Payton would likely just be asking to block on screens anyway.

    DePodesta is a Rockie! — C

    The GTW gang is torn on this one. We’re mildly and pleasantly surprised that Rockies CEO Dick Monfort hired a director of baseball operations from a) outside the organization; and b) outside his genetic family tree. Baby steps, after all, are still steps.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Changes could be coming to Rockies’ front office, but when and how big remain uncertain

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    SAN FRANCISCO — The Rockies completed their dismal 119-loss season with a 4-0 loss to the Giants on Sunday, but there was no immediate word about what’s next.

    It has been widely speculated that general manager Bill Schmidt will be replaced, but interim manager Warren Schaeffer, multiple players, and several coaches and staff members said they are unsure if, or when, a change is forthcoming.

    There’s also been speculation that the Rockies will hire someone from outside the organization to overhaul the front office after the worst season in franchise history and three consecutive 100-loss campaigns. But that also remains to be seen.

    Left fielder Jordan Beck offered an honest assessment of Colorado’s performance.

    How bad were 2025 Colorado Rockies? Let us count the ways.

    “I think if you look at the numbers, all of it, there is not necessarily anything we did great this year, starting with the offense, and you can even talk pitching as well,” he said. “If both get just a little bit better, I think we win 20 more games this year.

    “Same thing with defense. We have good defensive players, but we didn’t show that. Maybe it’s because we lost so many games early, and it had an impact. I’m not sure. But we have to make some changes, whether it’s going out to sign some players or just finding other ways to get better. It is what it is. That’s what you have to do in this game.”

    Center fielder Brenton Doyle doesn’t know what the immediate future holds, but said that the Rockies need stability and must learn how to win.

    “For sure, we do,” he said. “We have a lot of moving parts and a lot of youth. We have guys coming up, and we need some chemistry built up. We have spent some time together, so now we need to find out how to come together and find a way to win more games.”

    Senza to ‘pen. Schaeffer said Sunday that veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela will work out of the bullpen next season and will not be a candidate for the starting rotation.

    Senzatela began this season as a starter but struggled mightily, going 4-15 with a 7.42 ERA in 23 starts before he was moved to the bullpen. He’s pitched relatively well in his short stint as a reliever late this season, posting a 3.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts and five walks over six appearances out of the bullpen.

    Senzatela threw the five fastest pitches of his career on Sept. 7 vs. San Diego, all of them topping 99 mph. His firepower for short stints on the mound intrigues the Rockies. Senzatela has one year left on his contract and will make $12 million next season.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies Journal: 106-loss Royals went bold, made playoffs. Will Colorado?

    Rockies Journal: 106-loss Royals went bold, made playoffs. Will Colorado?

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    The 2023 Kansas City Royals were embarrassed. A 106-loss season can — and should — do that to a major league team.

    Royals owner John Sherman said something about it. Then he did something about it.

    “It sucked,” Sherman told MLB.com at the end of spring training. “But that’s what motivates you. Sometimes, you need that slap upside the head, right? We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we cannot tolerate something like that again for our fans.”

    So the Royals went big and bold.

    Their aggressiveness stoked a remarkable 30-game about-face (56-106 last season to 86-76 this season), a two-game sweep of the Orioles in the American League wild-card series, and a berth in the ALDS before they fell in four games to the Yankees.

    By beating the Orioles, Kansas City became just the second team to win a postseason series one year after losing at least 100 games. The other was the 2020 Marlins, who snuck into the playoffs in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season.

    Rockies fans should hope owner Dick Monfort was paying attention.

    Monfort’s club, which lost 103 games last season and 101 this season, is making some strides toward a turnaround with some young talent on the roster and in the system. But does the will and the wherewithal exist at 20th and Blake to put the Rockies in position for a playoff swing?

    General manager Bill Schmidt and manager Bud Black, who just agreed to return for the 2025 season, are optimistic about the future but not making any promises.

    “Our talent base is getting better,” Schmidt said at the end of the season. “Our depth is getting better. I’m not going to say we’re going from this year to win 95 next year. Our record this year might be similar (to 2023), but we’re going to be a better club.”

    Asked if Colorado can mimic the Royals and the Tigers (who went from 78-84 to 86-76 and the playoffs), Black answered: “Kansas City? Detroit? Anything is possible. When I got here in ’17 … what happened in ’16? (Colorado was 75-87 under Walt Weiss.) And then we made the playoffs. I’m going to say yes. I’m optimistic.”

    But the Rockies aren’t the Royals and Monfort is not Sherman.

    During the offseason, K.C. committed $109.5 million to free agents, the most money in any offseason in franchise history, including free-agent starting pitcher signees Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. They also signed their star shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr., to a contract extension that could add up to $377 million over 14 years.

    The Royals’ first big roster move was signing free-agent pitcher Will Smith for the back end of their bullpen. Smith had been on the roster of the last three World Series champions, with the Rangers, Astros and Braves.

    During the season, when they sensed success was on the horizon, they acquired closer Lucas Erceg and outfielder Tommy Pham.

    The Royals, who had not been to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2015, created an effective roster mix. Their postseason roster featured 12 homegrown players, including draftees and international signees. The other 14 players came from trades and free agency. Of those 14 players, 11 had previous postseason experience.

    The Royals are far from a powerhouse franchise. Last season, they averaged just 16,136 fans per game at Kauffman Stadium, ranking 27th in the majors, ahead of only the Marlins and the A’s. This season, the Royals drew 20,473, ranking 26th.

    According to Spotrac, Kansas City’s total payroll this season was $122.5 million, ranking 20th. Last year, it was $96.1 million (23rd).

    After the 106-loss debacle, GM J.J. Picollo immediately began reshaping the front office. He hired Brian Bridges as the new scouting director, promoted Jim Cuthbert to director of pro personnel and strategy, and beefed up the preseason and development department by hiring six new people.

    And so the seeds of a playoff team were planted.

    The Rockies, meanwhile, have some distinct advantages over the Royals. They drew 31,360 fans per home game this season, ranking 15th. Their payroll was $147.4 million (17th).

    The problem is not the Rockies’ failure to spend money; it’s how they’ve spent it. This season, $28 million (19%) of Colorado’s payroll went to the perennially injured Kris Bryant, who played in just 37 games with 155 plate appearances. For the record, that amounts to about $757,000 per game.

    Monfort courted Bryant, who has played in just 33% of the Rockies’ games since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season, the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history.

    Giving former closer Daniel Bard a two-year, $19 million deal for the 2023-24 season was also a big misstep. Bard, derailed by injuries, did not pitch a game in ’24.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies’ Adael Amador a big hit in his major league debut

    Rockies’ Adael Amador a big hit in his major league debut

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    First things first: Adael Amador makes quite a first impression.

    Called up from Double-A Hartford, Amador made his major league debut Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. The Rockies’ No. 1 prospect singled on his first swing on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat. The second baseman’s forever-memory moment arrived when he led off the third inning with a looping single to right off Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante. Amador connected on Pallante’s 94.1 mph fastball.

    In Colorado’s 5-1 loss, Amador hit 1 for 3 with one strikeout and stole his first base. At age 21 and 59 days, Amador became the second-youngest position player in Rockies franchise history to make his major league debut behind current starting shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (21 years, 53 days), who debuted on Sept. 23, 2022.

    “He looked fine of defense,” manager Bud Black told reporters in St. Louis. “He was probably a little amped up. … He expanded (the zone) a little bit today, which is out of his norm. But I think that will probably quiet down a little bit as each day goes on. We didn’t see the expansion of the strike zone in spring training. I’m sure he was fired up today, but overall, he looked comfortable.”

    Amador, the No. 32 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, was called up to replace veteran second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

    Unless Amador lights up major league pitching, his first stay with the Rockies will be short, and he’ll be optioned to the minors for more seasoning. But the Rockies thought the time was right to give Amador a test run.

    “It’s going to give Amador a taste of the majors here for a short period of time until ‘B-Rod’ comes back,” Black told MLB.com. “We’re excited about that. It’ll give us a chance to look at him. He’ll be exposed to the pace of a major league game versus a Double-A game. He’s in good form at 21 years old.”

    Even though Amador faced early failure at Double-A, that didn’t dissuade general manager Bill Schmidt from making the move.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies Journal: Dorothy adores baseball but these Rox are testing her love

    Rockies Journal: Dorothy adores baseball but these Rox are testing her love

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    PHOENIX — Dorothy Star grew up outside Boston, so she’s a baseball fanatic. She knows about the Curse of the Bambino, Fenway Park, Carl Yastrzemski, Bucky Dent, Billy Buckner and the 1986 World Series.

    “I think I understand baseball passion,” she said.

    Dorothy and her husband, Vic, have been married for 43 years. They moved to Colorado 40 years ago, and when the Rockies were born in 1993, Dorothy immediately adopted the team as her own.

    She loved the Blake Street Bombers, reveled in Rocktober, and marveled at Nolan Arenado.

    “It used to be so much fun to go to Coors Field,” she said.

    Though she lives in Frisco, Dorothy estimates she’s attended about half of the Rockies’ home games.

    “I’ve never left a game early,” she said.

    When the team unveiled Rockies.TV, its new streaming service, she signed up immediately.

    “I wanted to be able to watch some spring training games,” she said. “I wanted to see some of the young players.”

    Dorothy wants to continue attending games, but that won’t be easy. She is 76, has lived with leukemia for 17 years, and has other health issues. She and Vic are contemplating moving to Denver for better health care access.

    Dorothy tries to keep her life in perspective.

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s $63.5 million contract carries big expectations

    Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s $63.5 million contract carries big expectations

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Rockies figure they hit the jackpot with shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. On Tuesday, they rewarded him with a life-changing contract.

    “It’s a blessing and I’m so excited that the Rockies believed in me, and I’m excited to be here for a long time,” the 22-year-old said after officially signing a $63.5 million, seven-year contract extension. The deal includes a team option for 2031 that could boost the agreement to $84 million over eight seasons.

    The Rockies have known about Tovar since he was a 13-year-old kid in Maracay, Venezuela. He first grabbed the attention of Frank Roa, one of the Rockies’ Latin American scouts. A year later, Roa insisted that Rolando Fernandez, Colorado’s vice president of international scouting and development, see Tovar up close and personal.

    “I went to the Roberto Vahlis Baseball Academy in the Dominican (Republic) with Frank,” Fernandez recalled. “We went to see another player. Tovar was just 14, and he was just 5-foot-8, 145 pounds at the time. But Roa told me that he had been following Tovar and he was the best player in the academy. We decided to stay close to him and continued to evaluate him until his eligible age.”

    Fernandez signed Tovar for $800,000 on Aug. 1, 2017 — Tovar’s 16th birthday. The Rockies thought they had discovered a special player. They were right.

    As a rookie last season, Tovar was a National League Gold Glove finalist and led the Rockies with 153 games played. He slashed .253/.287/.408 with 15 home runs, 37 doubles, four triples, 73 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. His 37 doubles were tied with Hall of Famer Todd Helton (1998) for the most by a rookie in franchise history.

    Blessed with a strong arm, quick feet and excellent hand-eye coordination, Tovar is a steady presence at shortstop and capable of highlight-reel plays. In 2023, he was credited with 13 defensive runs saved, ranking fourth among major league shortstops. His 16 outs above average were tied for the sixth-most among all position players and second among shortstops.

    He said that’s just the beginning.

    “I felt like I belonged here when I made my start in big leagues,” Tovar said, referring to his debut on Sept. 23, 2022. “I think the overall experience, and being around the veteran players, has made me better. I’ve learned to be a big leaguer.”

    The Rockies, Tovar and Tovar’s agent worked out the new contract in about a week. Both sides were eager to reach a long-term deal.

    “Something that everybody should understand is that he wants to be here,” manager Bud Black said. “That speaks volumes.”

    Tovar received a $1.5 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.5 million this season, $4 million in 2025, $5 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, $14 million in 2029 and $16 million in 2030. The Rockies hold the option for $23 million in 2031 with a $2.5 million buyout.

    “First and foremost, we believe in him and what he has a chance to be down the road,” general manager Bill Schmidt said. “He has a chance to be a very, very good player. We believe in him, and like a lot of our young players, he’s somebody we can build around.”

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    Patrick Saunders

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