Colorado Rockies Manager Search: Dave Martinez Draws Praise

When you’re reportedly one of the candidates for the Colorado Rockies’ open manager position, it never hurts to have a good word put in for you by your current boss. That’s exactly what happened for Dave Martinez prior to Game 5 of the World Series.

Martinez, bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, received nothing but praise from Cubs manager Joe Maddon when asked about Martinez becoming a manager in the future. Maddon, Martinez and the Cubs stayed alive in their quest for a world championship with a dramatic win on Sunday night in Chicago.

“I would hope that Davey does get that opportunity to interview and possibly get the job,” Maddon told MLB.com about the Colorado position. “Davey’s not afraid to have the tough conversation. The best way I can describe it to you is he should be there to permit the manager to intellectualize the day. If I have to get caught up in all this other stuff, I really won’t be able to do my job. That is his job. His job is to be the conduit, liaison —  between this office and the rest of the clubhouse — and to really put out the fires before they ever get here and beyond that, do his duties.”

Martinez has never been a Major League manager but has plenty of playing and coaching experience. In a 16-year playing career, Martinez pieced together a .276 average with 91 homers and 580 RBI.

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

The 52-year-old Martinez was one of five possible candidates for the Colorado manager position that Nolan Lees detailed in this article. Additionally, other names have surfaced as potential interviewees, including Miami bench coach Tim Wallach, Kansas City bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Atlanta first base coach Eddie Perez, Cleveland bench coach Brad Mills and others.

Next: The Top 5 Second Basemen in Colorado History

Nearly a month after Walt Weiss stepped down from his role as Colorado’s manager, there have been no official interviews take place. The Rockies’ only internal candidate that has been reportedly linked to the interview process is Colorado’s current Triple-A manager, Glenallen Hill.