Colorado Rockies: Can they "trust the process" as Phillies come to town?

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Feb 8, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots the ball past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

As the Philadelphia Phillies come to Denver to open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, now seems to be a well-timed moment to ask about “the process” currently underway at 20th and Blake.

If you’re someone who keeps up with sports other than baseball, you are well aware that Denver and Philadelphia have been tied together in plenty of ways over the last few weeks in NBA circles. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid are considered two of the front-runners for this year’s NBA MVP award in what is becoming a heated race … and heated debate surrounding it. While Jokic is statistically considered the overwhelming choice for the MVP honor (see here and here), there are still plenty of analysts out there who see Embiid as the favorite.

Shaq has Embiid as the MVP over Jokic 👀

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/Gktu4tCxud
— FanSided (@FanSided) April 22, 2021

There’s also another discussion when it comes to Embiid and the 76ers, and that’s the mantra of, “trust the process” that has become perhaps as big of a part of recent Philadelphia sports lore as the Philly Special. Embiid has even taken on the nickname of “The Process” as he has been a part of the 76ers’ regeneration from East bottom-feeder to a contender.

Want a quick lesson of “trust the process” and what it means in terms of the 76ers? Here’s a good read on it. It’s part of some of the homework I did before writing this article.

One of the quotes in that article that stuck out to me was from 76ers writer Michael Levin, referring to former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, who first made “process” a buzzword when it came to his franchise:

“Then Hinkie came through and was like, ‘Here’s what we’re doing, here’s why we’re doing it, sit tight for a few years and it’s gonna be dope.’ And every transaction was in service of that.”

So how does all of this relate to the Rockies and their current state? Let’s dive in.

Aug 20, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) celebrates with shortstop Trevor Story (27) after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the key points of the “trust the process” movement for the 76ers was that people understood what the process actually was. Inside and outside the organization, people understood that, even in low times for the franchise, there was a plan in place for the future.

Colorado Rockies fans do not have that privilege at the moment. It’s one of the biggest reasons why the front office and ownership endured so much scorn during the offseason when the long-rumored trade of Nolan Arenado finally became a reality. There had been talks for months of the uneasy relationship between Colorado’s All-Star third baseman and general manager Jeff Bridich. It was, in fact, the worst-kept secret in Denver sports.

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Arenado’s trade, of course, brought with it an avalanche (sticking with the other Denver sports teams theme at the start of the article) of emotions. If Arenado was leaving, what was the plan? What was coming back to the Rockies in return and what did it mean for the future of the organization? How long would it take to rebuild (not that anyone at 20th and Blake is using that word)?

Outside of a nightmare of a press conference that was crucified on a national level, there was little talk of what was coming next and what this would mean for the future of the Rockies. Was this part of a plan or was it something done just because it had to be done, in the minds of Rockies leadership? We’re still wondering that to this day.

The same can be said for what could happen this season with Trevor Story, the other half of Colorado’s star-studded left side of the infield from 2020 that could be no more by late July of this year. There’s been little talk of what is happening with his contract that expires at the end of the season, outside of there have been no serious talks about it.

There have been other moves, of course, that have made fans wonder about the direction of the franchise.

The decision to not re-sign David Dahl and a late move to add former Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin to the Opening Day roster, marking Colorado’s first Major League free agent signing in two seasons are two such moves recently but there’s others in the recent past.

A decision to not make a bigger splash at the 2018 trade deadline when the Rockies had the chance to win their first-ever National League West title. Letting DJ LeMahieu walk away. Signing Ian Desmond as a first baseman. A reported lack of focus on analytics compared to other franchises. There are, of course, plenty of others as well.

It’s hard for fans to “trust the process” when they don’t know what the process is. While several GMs and owners across the sports landscapes are willing to share their plans, the Rockies are not part of that mix. As long as the current regime remains in charge, don’t expect that to change any time soon.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 6: Ryan McMahon #24 of the Colorado Rockies gestures to celebrate his third home run of the game, a seventh-inning solo shot, against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on April 6, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

So if we’re left to our thoughts and devices often to figure out what the “process” might be in Colorado, we need to look at where the franchise is heading into this weekend series with the Phillies.

Its strength is its largely homegrown rotation while its offense is currently posting a league-worst 77 OPS+ as a team.

After years of sharing time, younger players are getting plenty of at-bats to determine which ones can flourish (Ryan McMahon, Raimel Tapia), which ones are struggling (Sam Hilliard, Josh Fuentes), and which ones may need more time to firmly answer questions about their future (Yonathan Daza, Dom Nunez).

The same can be said for a bullpen where an up-and-down Carlos Estevez joins new faces Robert Stephenson, Ben Bowden, and Jordan Sheffield as pitchers Bud Black must rely upon during an upcoming schedule that doesn’t feature another off day until May 6, then two more weeks until the next off day. As Black always says, “It’s going to take everyone” in his bullpen to succeed for the team to succeed. That will be tested for the rest of April and into May.

And if the test is failed by some, there are few players waiting in the wings who seem ready to embrace the bright MLB spotlight and potentially succeed at that level. A farm system that is often ranked near the bottom of the list shows that there is a lack of quality depth ready to move in and take over if needed.

“The process” seems to be following what Rockies owner Dick Monfort said at that now-infamous February press conference surrounding the Arenado trade:

“But we’ve got a lot of guys that, to be quite honest, it’s time to cut bait. This could be the challenge that they need. This could be: They need to step up and fill in this void.”