Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, January 30, 2025
Boy, the Rockies sure do love bringing old friends back, huh?
As you’ve no doubt already been made aware, it was announced earlier this week that Charlie Blackmon’s retirement from the game of baseball would not keep him out of Coors Field for long, as he had been appointed Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Player ➡️ Front Office@Chuck_Nazty is rejoining the organization as Special Assistant to the General Manager. pic.twitter.com/LtZ4GDtCNP
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) January 25, 2025
This is interesting for multiple reasons, but one is that Blackmon is just the most recent in a long line of former Rockies roster members that have rejoined the team in new roles.
This isn’t terribly surprising on its own, as Colorado has long espoused the values of culture and leadership in their organization both on the field and in the board room, and it makes sense that they’d do their best to retain the services of those that have been strong additions to that culture. What bears consideration is whether or not this step into an administrative role will light a fire for Chuck to potentially enter into more leadership roles in the future – like that of a manager.
Few players in Rockies history can boast the longevity that Blackmon enjoyed, and he certainly has valuable experience and knowledge to pass on to younger developing stars. While he’ll focus on improving the team from a front office standpoint for now, it’s not out of the question to think that he may be viewed as a candidate to take over once current skipper Bud Black departs.
With Black on the most recent of a string of one-year contracts, it’s fair for fans to consider who may be fit for the job in the seasons to come. Blackmon isn’t likely to get the gig quite so quickly, but that doesn’t mean he can’t begin laying the groundwork for it.
He’s not alone, though. As I mentioned, Chuck’s the most recent former player to be added to the administrative ranks, and there are a couple familiar names that likely have the inside track to the position of manager.
There’s a long-standing idea that catchers make the best managers (though the actual numbers don’t necessarily support that), and Colorado’s got a couple of former backstops in their employ that could very well find themselves holding the reins of the major league club down the line.
Those that have read my articles over the years will know that I’m a big Tony Wolters guy, and it seems the Rockies are of a similar mindset. Like Blackmon, Wolters was immediately welcomed back into the fold following his retirement, and now helps shape the next generation as bench coach of the ACL Rockies.
He’s fresh into his coaching career, but Wolters has a history of developing quickly and rising to the occasion. Some more time to get acclimated to the rigors of player development and coaching could be the building blocks that allow him to transform into a quality candidate for a leadership role on the Rockies MLB squad.
With his entry into coaching coming at the ACL level, Wolters will have the opportunity to work with some of Colorado’s most exciting young talents, such as Brody Brecht. If this initial foray into the more strategic side of the game goes well, we could see the beginnings of a very fruitful managerial career for Tony Three Bags.
Similarly, the Rockies seem to be impressed with the work of former utilityman Jordan Pacheco, who currently serves as the hitting coach of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.
Pacheco is an compelling case because of his time spent at almost every position imaginable. The versatility he showed in playing all over the diamond was a boon for the Rockies during his playing days, and it undoubtedly allowed him to see the game from many different perspectives (literally!) and learn all manner of tricks.
This unique way of playing will serve Pacheco well as a hitting coach, as he will be able to relate to almost all of his tutees and hopefully allow them to be able to implement actionable feedback to improve their swing. Triple-A is, of course, the last stop before the bigs, so positive results from Pacheco in that office may have him on the fast track to a Major League position – but while it may be hitting that he’s honed in on currently, there have been many instances of hitting coaches being promoted to manager. Will Pacheco be the next?
We could also look from beyond the walls of Coors Field, of course. Recall that former fan favorite and Hall of Fame hopeful Troy Tulowitzki continues to work with the stars of tomorrow as a member of the University of Texas’ staff. It may take some convincing to get him to return to Denver, but who better than the greatest shortstop in Colorado’s history to turn things around for the franchise that he once carried?
These are just a few examples, among many, of former Rox talent that could transition into a manager role in the Show. It’s nothing that’s going to happen soon, of course, but if nothing else, it’s fun to speculate on who would possess the skillset to succeed in the position of big league skipper. Who knows? Maybe we’ll look back on these guesses in a few years and share a laugh as we watch the 2032 Rockies take the field on Opening Day, led by manager Brandon Barnes.
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Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Ezequiel Tovar is good. Wild, right? Well, he’s only begun to take the full leap at the MLB level, and this piece by Thomas Harding will break down exactly why the sky is the limit for the young shortstop.
Is this… a national media outlet showing love to the Rockies? Wow! And they’re right Toglia did end the season on a strong note, leaving many excited to see what he does next year.
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