Colorado Rockies: The top 5 things we learned at Rockies Fest

Saturday was a gorgeous day in downtown Denver. It’s the kind of day that draws people to the beautiful state of Colorado. Plenty of sunshine and plenty of views of the Rocky Mountains were to be had.

However, many Colorado Rockies fans couldn’t have cared less about the weather. Saturday was also Rockies Fest, a time for Rockies supporters to come together and meet some of their heroes, walk back into Coors Field and hear about some of the plans and hopes for the next year.

Of course, this year’s Rockies Fest took on a different feel. With the back-and-forth going on between Nolan Arenado and Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, there was certainly a lot of tension in the air. There were also plenty of fans who were wondering about another offseason of relative inactivity and if this team can truly contend for a postseason spot in 2020.

There were also some good vibes floating around after Larry Walker‘s election into the Baseball Hall of Fame last week and the news that Trevor Story and the Rockies had reached a two-year agreement that will avoid any arbitration headaches.

We were at Coors Field on Saturday and talked to some fans, as well as checked out the thoughts shared on Twitter. We also had the chance to sit down with Story, Kyle Freeland, David Dahl and manager Bud Black for some conversations.

With that, here are the five thoughts we took away from Saturday’s Rockies Fest.

Along with the Arenado sniping and feuding, the Rockies have also had a bit of a public relations nightmare with the termination of radio broadcaster Jerry Schemmel. We talked about Schemmel’s loss in this podcast and how it will impact fans in 2020 (and how we hope he’ll still be affiliated with the Rockies somehow).

Let’s make one thing very clear: The Rockies did not have anything to do with this layoff. The ax falling on Schemmel came from KOA Radio through their bosses at IHeartRadio. But no matter where the news came from, it still didn’t set well with Rockies fans.

Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post took to Twitter to try to once again explain the scenario.

That buzz was still loud and clear on Saturday, despite KOA announcing that Mike Rice would be taking over for Schemmel alongside longtime play-by-play man Jack Corrigan. Rice is no stranger to Rockies fans as he has filled in on the radio in the past and has done plenty with the Rockies and other sports at KOA.

Still, many fans were not and are not happy about the change.

That was the view of several Rockies fans I overheard on Saturday and have spoken with on the subject. Change has happened … and it hasn’t been received in the best way so far, it’s very obvious.

Nolan Arenado was not at Rockies Fest on Saturday. Don’t read too much into that. After all, there were plenty of other players (Wade Davis, Ian Desmond, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan McMahon are just some of the names that come to mind) who weren’t there either.

Still, that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty of talk about Arenado and his situation coming from the fans who walked through the gates at Coors Field. Many fans wanted answers, and they didn’t get them from general manager Jeff Bridich or owner Dick Monfort.

Colorado Rockies

Bridich and Monfort were both reportedly on hand to shake hands with fans and welcome them to Rockies Fest but it was made very clear that they would not be answering questions about Arenado. Neither were made available to the media to help ensure that.

Those fans who tried to ask about Arenado were reportedly stonewalled by the duo, in a nice way of course. Bridich was reportedly asked several times by fans after meeting them at the front gate but the topic didn’t continue.

There’s a huge elephant in the room and Saturday didn’t help in shooing it away at all. There has been no comment from the Rockies front office since Arenado lashed out earlier this week and it seems that, for now, they’re content to try to sweep it under the rug under spring training starts.

That’s not what Rockies fans want, and that was very clear on Saturday. Something will need to be done in order for the tension to be eased. It’s up to the Rockies front office to make that happen.

Who did answer the questions about Arenado? It was up to the players and manager.

The situation with Arenado was brought up in questions to Bud Black, Trevor Story, David Dahl and Kyle Freeland by the media in a session after Rockies Fest. The overall consensus? No one wants to speak for Arenado in this situation and they don’t think it will be a distraction for the team.

“Players are wired to play,” Black told the media, including Rox Pile. “Once we get to camp, I think the focus is going to be on baseball.”

It’s getting to camp that will be the tricky part for the team. However, Story believes winning can take care of a lot of the issues being discussed right now.

“You can only control what you can control. For me, I try not to worry too much,” Story said. “All of this comes down to everyone wants to win. Everyone involved wants to win and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

And Kyle Freeland may have had the quote of the day on the subject.

“No matter what, he is gonna show up on time ready to play, ready to work his ass off,” Freeland said of his All-Star third baseman.

Don’t expect there to be much talk from the players or coaching staff heading into spring training about the subject. It’s very obvious they’re all focused on getting back to playing baseball rather than answering questions about their teammate and general manager.

Make no mistake about it, Kyle Freeland’s return to his 2018 levels (or even close to them) will be a huge boost for the Rockies. A change in his delivery is expected to bring good results, and Freeland has the confidence in better things in 2020.

Freeland said that he turned the page on his disappointing 2019 season quickly but isn’t forgetting about it.

“It’s something that I think should stick with me for the rest of my career,” Freeland said. “It should stick with me and I should be aware of it just because it was a serious rut that I was in and one of the lowest lows I’ve ever been in my life. And it’s something that I came out on the other side.”

And that “other side” is where Freeland is now and where Black expects him to be in 2020.

“The talent. His stuff. How he’s wired and his desire,” Black said when asked about what will help Freeland rebound this season. “This past season was a learning experience for him. I think it’s just lined up for him to bounce back.”