Colorado Rockies Hire Mark Wiley As Pitching Coordinator

Look at it this way: Mark Wiley would have really felt terrible about himself if he hadn’t gotten the job. Being the only candidate, it would have been a heavy punch to the metaphorical gut for him to get rejected. So if you are not impressed by the fact that the Rockies essentially created a position to bring in one specific person who may or may not just be here to reinforce and promote the agenda of Dan O’Dowd and Bill Geivett, you can at least be happy for Wiley that he got a nice little boost to his self-esteem.

Still no pictures of Mark Wiley, so here’s

…a pitcher. Image: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Wiley is officially the Colorado Rockies’ director of pitching operations. The exact nature of his job description is not clear. In Patrick Saunders’s report in the Denver Post, Wiley’s new title was referred to with three different names: director of pitching operations, pitching coordinator, and pitching supervisor. We did get our first chance to hear from Wiley himself in the article. Maybe he can clear this issue up:

“I will work with everyone at all different levels. I will act as a sounding board and I will make recommendations. I will be looking for things that need to be touched up and will also present some new ideas. I was hired to help improve our developmental process and to provide some continuity throughout the organization.”

Uhhh…nope, I’m still confused.

Continuity throughout the organization is a good thing, if (and this is a big if) the front office commits to a plan to rebuild from within. If this franchise commits to developing pitching consistently so that the expectations are clear when they reach the big leagues, it is taking steps in the right direction. In order for that to happen, the Rockies need to quit blaming altitude and outside factors, point the finger at themselves, and commit to acquiring and building better talent.

If Wiley contributes to that type of continuity, I am on board with his hiring, made-up-only-one-candidate position and all. But if he just becomes the newest member of the front office who grasps at straws, makes knee jerk reactions and contradicts himself, I will only sour more on the people running my beloved team.