Rockies will retain manager Walt Weiss for 2016 season
The verdict is in on Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss.
As first reported by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, Weiss will return to the Rockies dugout for the 2016 season, which is also the final year of his contract.
MLB.com’s Thomas Harding backed up Rosenthal’s report a short time later, stating that both Weiss and general manager Jeff Bridich were willing to confirm the skipper’s return.
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Weiss, a former 14-year major league shortstop, was hired in November of 2012 after spending time coaching his son Brody at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo. He was hired despite having no prior professional managing or coaching experience, and has understandably struggled under the Rockies historically uneven structure.
During Weiss’ tenure, the Rockies have had multiple general managers and multiple pitching coaches, sometimes at the same time, which only muddied the waters and highlighted the organization’s lack of direction. The Rockies have gone 208-278 during Weiss’ tenure, including two last place finishes and one fourth place.
Perhaps now with Bridich installed as the lone GM Colorado will finally have a sense of direction. We’ve seen he’s not hesitant to trade franchise cornerstones after moving Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto. He’s also said everyone on his roster is fair game to trade discussion, meaning he might have a busy winter ahead. Knowing that, now seemed like it might be a good time for a fresh start in the dugout as well, but Bridich will give Weiss one more year to put his stamp on the job.
“We will be having ongoing meetings/discussions, but I will say this for now: Walt and I met for several hours today about the season and how we can get better with him back in 2016,” Bridich said. “It’s going well, and we will continue to meet.”
Weiss said there is “still a lot to discuss with Jeff, but I will be back.”
It’s widely known that Weiss has a supporter in owner Dick Monfort. Remaining stars Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado also gave Weiss a notable nod of approval last week. One would think their opinions carried some weight, but it was Bridich’s decision to make and it sounds like Tuesday’s meeting with Weiss sold him on continuing the relationship.
Though things are not likely to get considerably better in 2016, the good news is Colorado does have some interesting pieces in place with Gonzalez, Arenado and Charlie Blackmon pacing the lineup. With Jon Gray getting his feet wet in September and top pitching prospect Jeff Hoffman coming over from Toronto, there’s hope with the pitching staff as well. That’s the type of talent Weiss or any manager can have success with, and will perhaps allow Bridich to truly reach a judgment on his abilities.
Bridich knows Weiss hasn’t been the biggest part of the problem, because he’s never really had a chance. But he needs to know soon if Weiss can be part of the solution.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
