Colorado Rockies: Looking at the positives under Jeff Bridich

Pro: Change of pitching philosophy

"“Pitching at Coors Field, it’s all attitude over altitude. We don’t worry about it. Our players don’t worry about it.” — Mark Wiley"

Prior to Bridich taking over, the Rockies had no consistent voice through the organization regarding their pitching. Many prospects such as Eddie Butler fell victim to dancing around the zone and not executing fastball command. However, that changed with the hiring of Mark Wiley, Director of Pitching Operations by former GM Dan O’Dowd.

Wiley’s philosophy is leaps and bounds better than anything they had under Bob Apodaca. In a 2017 interview with Purple Row’s Jordan Freemeyer, Wiley discussed the important of fastball command and the development of a plus changeup. With an emphasis on increased repertoire, perhaps the biggest change has been in the attitude and mindset of Rockies pitchers. No longer is pitching at Coors seen as a burden or monster that Jim Tracy referred to. The Rockies simply make Coors a non-factor by ignoring it.

Pro: Monfort taking a step back

Possibly the biggest impact Bridich has had on the Rockies is owner Dick Monfort taking a hands-off, step back approach. After the passing of Monfort’s close friend and team president Kelli McGregor, Monfort’s grip on the franchise seemed to come to a stranglehold. Since the Bridich takeover, however, Monfort not only seemed to let the “baseball guys” handle the day-to-day operations, he’s opened his pocketbook.

In an April interview with Nick Groke, then of The Denver Post, Monfort gave Bridich a world of praise and hinted at Jeff’s ability to operate under his own accord.

"“Jeff and I get along great,” Monfort said. “Jeff is pretty protective, but we see things pretty much similar. And if we don’t see things similar, he usually wins. That makes it easier for him.”"

I believe for a franchise to be successful, the front office, manager and players all need to be on the same page. Bridich has this team all drinking the purple Kool-Aid.

Next: Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Bud Black and more talk about their favorite burgers

Tune in soon for my second half of this article, where I will discuss the cons of Bridich’s tenure so far.