Tuesday Rockpile: Should Adam Ottavino be the next Colorado Rockies manager?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, August 20, 2024

When the New York Mets visited Denver earlier this month to play the Colorado Rockies, it was a kind of homecoming for relief pitcher Adam Ottavino. He was with the team from 2012-2018 and was part of the last group to make it to the postseason.

Of that time, Ottavino told Denver media, “To me, 2018 is definitely my best year — I pitched a lot and I pitched well.”

He also still feels an affinity for Denver. “It feels like home every time I’m here, and I’ll always be a Rockie in my mind,” Ottavino said. “It’s exciting and I always try to appreciate coming here, especially because I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play and feel these feelings I want to feel.”

As it turns out, I was there for that interview along with Kyle Newman (Denver Post) and Patrick Lyons (Just Baseball). I’d heard for years that Ottavino was a terrific person to talk with, and he did not disappoint. You can read my full account here.

During the course of the conversation, Ottavino addressed a number of topics, but the one that stayed with me was his interest in managing. For a number of reasons, it’s worth reading his comments in their entirety; then I’ll parse through them.

It’s fair to ask if he’s well suited to be the next manager of the Colorado Rockies.

The excerpt

Kyle Newman: You keep talking about “if you come back next year.” You’re free agent obviously next year. Is retirement on your mind? Do you think this is your swan song?

Adam Ottavino: This is the first year that I kind of had to face the fact that I’m probably a lot closer to the end than I realized. And I just think I still want to play, and I am definitely open to playing, but I’m not going into the offseason worrying about anything. If I play, that’d be awesome. If I’m in a good situation, I’ll definitely play, but if I’m not, then I’m okay not playing.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

KN: Would coaching be in your future with the way you like to analyze the game?

AO: I have mind and my heart starting to dream a little bit on managing. I’d be unorthodox, but I think I could get unorthodox results.

I think most of the managerial moves nowadays are pitching moves — especially bullpen — and I feel like I’ve been doing that for 14 years out there [laughs].

And the second part is talking to media, which I know I can do.

The third part is having tough conversations, which is something I’d have to improve on, and some leadership stuff, but I have been dreaming about that a little bit, so that could be down the road. We’ll see.

KN: You could see yourself getting into that route and climbing the ladder?

AO: Oh, no, I’m not going to climb any ladder. I’m just gonna go right to the main thing.

[The group laughs, but Ottavino is serious.]

I’ll do something else until the main thing. We’ll figure it out that way.

Renee Dechert

Patrick Lyons: Are there any relievers who’ve ever managed before?

OA: Not that I know of.

Renee Dechert: That’s intriguing!

OA: Like I said, it’s a little unorthodox.

PL: It is for a pitcher. Bud Black’s one of the few.

OA: Yep.

[Author’s note: Material about the Rockies 2018 season has been omitted.]

KN: So the manager thing, you’re serious about that?

AO: Uh huh.

RD: I’m intrigued.

AO: Dead serious.

RD: I think you’ve got it.

AO: We’ll see what happens. I mean, I might do media for a while, but again, I’m JJ Redick: direct move from one thing to the job.

KN: Okay, JJ Redick.

AO: No climbing the ladder for me.

PL: So you wouldn’t do Double-A or Triple-A?

AO: No.

PL: Pitching coach?

AO: No.

PL: Really?

AO: Yeah.

KN: Just straight for the skipper’s job.

AO: I’m just being honest.

RD: I like your attitude.

AO: I think I’ll be great.

KN: No to the other stuff, just because you want to hang out with your family?

AO: Well, yeah. I mean, I don’t know anything about minor-league baseball anymore. I only know Major League Baseball. So focus on that.

KN: Not even pitching coach?

AO: Eh, it’s alright. It doesn’t excite me that much.

RD: He wants to be the boss.

AO: I want to be in charge. I want to make the decisions.

[Pause]

I’m not afraid to say it.

Considering the possibilities

Let’s, then, examine what Ottavino said, looking at the criteria he’s set along with what we know about how the Rockies operate and what we think the next Rockies manager needs to bring to the table.

• A manager has to know “pitching moves” — This is Ottavino’s first job qualification, and given his professional background, this part of his résumé is outstanding. Look, he’s got 14 years of experience.
• A manager has to interact with the press — Again, Ottavino’s track record on this is clear. He’s been a go-to interview subject for years. Watch him do analysis on the MLB Network, and his communication skills are outstanding. As a manager, he can absolutely talk to the press and promote the team to external stakeholders. If he can handle the media in New York and Boston, he’ll be fine in Denver.
• Having tough conversations — This is an area Ottavino acknowledges he’d need to work on, but these are teachable skills, especially given his communication background.

Then there are other managerial duties/skills that Ottavino doesn’t mention but would support his case as the next Rockies manager (even though he did not specifically target the Rockies when articulating his interest in being a manager).

• He knows pitching at elevation and how to use analytics — Long before the Rockies created their Pitching Lab in Scottsdale, Ottavino had visited Driveline to reinvent himself and begun using advanced technology. (Remember his conversation with Bud Black about that as recounted in The MVP Machine?) If anyone knows how to make that Pitching Lab work for a young pitching staff, it’s Adam Ottavino. And as someone who had to master pitching at elevation, he speaks with authority. (Watch the video about his Tommy John rehab here.)

• He’s played around the league — In terms of experience, Ottavino came up through the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, and after leaving Colorado played for the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Mets. That means he has a wide circle of contacts that could provide him with a personnel pool when hiring his own staff.
• He’s familiar — If there’s a thing that’s become clear, it’s that Dick Monfort is most comfortable hiring people he already knows — and he already knows Adam Ottavino.

Seriously, going through Ottavino’s Instagram feed shows how easily he could link the Rockies’ past to its future — with an injection of much-needed analytics.

Does Ottavino have deficiencies as a potential manager? Sure.

He would need to hire an excellent hitting coach, and, as he acknowledges, a reliever moving directly into managing would be “unorthodox.” In other words, he would be on a steep learning curve for part of the job.

But you know what? The Rockies are nothing if not unorthodox.

I’m here for it.

Embrace the unorthodox, Dick Monfort. Hire Adam Ottavino to be the next Colorado Rockies manager.

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This week on the internet

I thought this was interesting.

Wish the Rockies’ numbers were higher, but, hey, baby steps!

Also, on Saturday, Patrick Saunders tweeted this:

Definitely trending in the right direction (even though this season, Jake Cave has earned his most games in a single season with a team).

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GM Bill Schmidt optimistic about future, but Colorado faces huge questions | Denver Post ($)

After another grim season, Bill Schmidt expresses optimism about the Rockies future as represented by its young core. Here’s a sentence worth highlighting regarding Bud Black’s possible future tenure as manager: “We’ll talk at the end of the season,” Schmidt said Friday. “There’s nothing more to report on that.” Do with that what you will.

Is outfield defense the best it’s ever been? | MLB.com

When Mike Petriello takes a deep dive into a topic, I’m always here for it, and this article is no exception. In it, he considers if we’re seeing some of the best outfield defense in the game. Although Brenton Doyle doesn’t get a shoutout in this, he probably should.

Ottavino hurdled changes to find success | MilB.com

Turned on the Wayback Machine for this one, a Tyler Maun special from 2015 on Adam Ottavino’s time in minor-league baseball. In light of his comments last week and managerial aspirations, it’s timely. (Many thanks to Tyler for pointing it out.)

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