• Archive: How Can the Rockies Rebuild Their Relationship with Fans?
For the organization, it’s become a year of opportunity, but will they take it?
May 6, 2021
On Monday, the Rockies announced that Vice President of Scouting Bill Schmidt would assume the role of Interim General Manager. Schmidt has been in the Rockies organization for more than 20 years, serving as Scouting Director since 2007 and overseeing the Rockies MLB Draft since 2000.
The good news is that the Rockies (we hope) have begun sorting through the issues confronting them. Filling the interim position shows the organization being proactive; Schmidt’s relationships should help the Rockies improve their work with other teams; his history with players throughout the system should facilitate better communication. All of this is good. (There’s still the problem of the out-sourced analytics department, but the organization has to start somewhere.)
On Wednesday morning, Schmidt met with the media. I wasn’t able to watch that (read Thomas Harding’s reporting here), but I did see his in-game conversation with Ryan Spilborghs (available here).
It was a nice format in which to introduce Schmidt to fans. Spilborghs knows Schmidt well, and the two had a friendly conversation. Schmidt stressed his history and relationships with players (both inside and outside the Rockies organization), and he reiterated that he was in the position to ensure “everyone is pulling the rope in the same direction.” He named others in the organization who would be key in moving forward — and said that he wasn’t smart enough to do everything himself. (I’d call that some “brain surgeon shade.”)
In a purely interpersonal sense, Schmidt seemed knowledgeable, approachable, and likable. He talked about players he’d scouted — for example, Schmidt first saw Ryan McMahon when going to a baseball camp with his son. In telling these kinds of stories, he created an immediate connection with fans. He made jokes and stressed that he was there to improve communication. His language was clear and concise. There was no sense he was hiding anything or that he’d rather be anywhere else. He was just stopping by the booth to visit with an old friend — and to introduce himself to fans.
It’s a good start.
Now, it’s time for the Rockies to begin the next phase of rebuilding trust with fans. Here’s how Thomas Harding put it last week:
_The hard feelings of the Arenado trade have been dissected to death. The lesson should be that transparency must improve. Fans have been displeased with the product on the field the last two years, but an underlying cause for the anger is that decisions were made to keep them in the dark about the team’s plans.
If the Rockies have to shop their best players now to enhance the future, they'd benefit from telling everyone — even if reaction is negative. Monfort and new club president Greg Feasel can help with this attitude by keeping stand-up baseball people around when the new hires are made._
Harding is right (although I’d argue there’s more Arenado “dissection” to be done), and I’d like to offer some suggestions to the Rockies as they begin the work of constructively engaging fans.
Hold Another Press Conference — A Real One
When the news of the Schmidt hiring dropped, Patrick Saunders tweeted this:
Patrick Saunders @psaundersdpHere's hoping the interim GM will actually talk to the media. ... Without being condescending.
Denver Post Rockies @DPRockies
NEW: Bill Schmidt named #Rockies interim general manager, replacing Jeff Bridich via @psaundersdp https://t.co/xYiXbKtwdo
Rockies, he’s offering you some advice.
Now that Schmidt has made his first appearance as Interim GM, it’s time for the next step. Holding a press conference with Dick Monfort, Greg Feasel, and Schmidt would serve several purposes. First, it would allow everyone to see the new leadership in place — the new team, if you will. Visuals matter. Second, it would indicate that the Rockies are beginning to re-engage with the larger world of MLB. National writers were perplexed by the Rockies’ failure to hold a press conference in the wake of the Bridich resignation. A press conference shows an attempt to be, well, a normal baseball team — and normal baseball teams engage with the baseball community.
Third, it would allow the Rockies to begin their repair work on their relationship with local media. Those beat writers mediate the relationship between the organization and fans. Right now, the Rockies are re-setting, but they also need to open themselves up to a conversation with the writers who know them best.
If Coors Field can allow fans again and if the team is 100% vaccinated, then the Rockies can arrange for a safe in-person media availability. Zoom gives the Rockies too much control over the situation — and I say this as someone who adores Zoom. If it’s a new day, then it deserves a forum suited to an honest conversation and trust building.
Monfort, Feasel, and Schmidt Need to Do Some Interviews
The press conference sets the tone for what’s next. The real conversations should happen between those in power and reporters they’re comfortable having more nuanced visits with.
Like Patrick Saunders, Harding has offered the Rockies some advice:
Thomas Harding @hardingatmlbThose face-to-face conversations should be with media figures Rockies fans know and trust, reporters who understand the team and the fanbase. (Spilborghs is a good start — fans like him — but he’s not exactly a seasoned journalist. The front office needs to talk with those willing to ask harder questions.)
The front office’s message — and I don’t know what that is, though hopefully they do — needs to be clear, and each member of the front office should address a specific component of that message (e.g., Monfort on vision; Feasel on finance; and Schmidt on the team).
In having those conversations, the front office is effectively telling fans what’s happening and giving them a sense of the plan. If the Rockies want fan buy-in, fans have to feel like they’re stakeholders. For that to happen, the leadership needs to speak directly with fans (even if that message is heavily scripted). This is about building trust, and that involves some vulnerability on both sides. The Rockies front office has to carry their share of that burden.
Solicit Fan Feedback
Rockies social media has been a dumpster fire since the Arenado deal — and, to be clear, the Rockies social team did not deserve that, but it doesn’t matter. Fans use those platforms because they’re available and provide the closest thing most fans have in terms of a direct voice to the organization. It’s time to change the tenor of that conversation.
Since the Rockies have been hinting that 2021 was “The Year of Opportunity,” it’s time to extend that symbolism to the organization itself. It’s an opportunity for the Rockies to recalibrate their relationships.
To change the tone on social media, I’d create a Google form and distribute it widely soliciting feedback on pretty much anything fans want to vent about. Have thoughts on a rebuild? Share them. Concerned about beer prices? Let’s hear your ideas. Want to change the Tooth Trot? What do you have in mind? They should plan for a lot of venting and a lot of unworkable ideas and maybe some gems, but the point is to signal that it’s a new day: The Rockies want to hear from fans.
Actions like this change the tone even if they don’t result in actionable ideas.
Communicate Regularly with Stakeholders
I assume right now, the Rockies are building a plan for the post-Bridich era. If they are, they should tell fans, and they should provide updates. Create a “fan liaison.” Clearly, fans can’t know everything: It’s a business. No one disputes that.
But the Rockies need to be clear about what fans can expect to know as stakeholders, and they need to plan on ways to regularly and personally get that message out. Those press statements that drop on social media simply aren’t personal enough.
Colorado Rockies @Rockies
Initiatives work best when they’re affiliated with a person.
Final Thoughts
Some fans have expressed concerns about Schmidt’s statement that he’d like to be considered for the permanent job. To that, I’ll offer two observations. Interim leaders generally say they hope a position becomes permanent, even if that’s not really their plan. Otherwise, they risk operating in a lame-duck capacity and having less influence on daily operations. Moreover, it helps calm the inevitable speculation.
Second, I’ve known lots of folks who took interim positions and discovered that it really wasn’t a job they wanted.
I recognize the Rockies’ history of hiring familiar people, but if that were Dick Monfort’s plan, I tend to think that Schmidt would already have the job. It is essential that the Rockies run a real search — and if Schmidt wishes to be considered, he should apply — but right now, this is about letting things settle. Schmidt’s history with the organization and his statement that he hopes to remain in the position achieves that, regardless of what happens in the fall.
The Rockies have a window, and they’ve made some moves fans have requested. None of that matters, however, if the Rockies don’t go all in on re-setting their relationship with fans.
Milestones
- Reader, it happened: After 83 plate appearances in 2021, Josh Fuentes walked:
RoxGifsVids @RoxGifsVids
During the second game of the double header against the Giants, Fuentes walked again. In doing so, he equaled the number of walks he took in 2020 in 103 plate appearances.
Old Friends
- Tyler Anderson continues to make a name for himself in Pittsburgh: On Monday, he carried a no-hitter against the Padres into the seventh inning. Anderson is having a good season, and I wonder if the Pirates will attempt to move him before the trade deadline.
- C. Trent Rosencrans talked with Jeff Hoffman about how he selects the jerseys the Reds will wear. (Hoffman is a player I’m hoping good things for.)
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To
- Justin Wick’s “Daniel Bard Has a New Slider — and It’s Not as Good As Before”(Purple Row) — If you’re curious about what’s going on with Daniel Bard, Wick (a pitcher himself) has some ideas.
- Patrick Saunders’ “Will Interim GM Bill Schmidt Become Permanent? Or Will Team Finally Go Outside the Organization?” (Denver Post) — Saunders has some takes on Schmidt’s interim role. (Spoiler: He thinks the Rockies will go outside the organization.)
- Nick Groke’s “What If the Rockies Chose Nolan Arenado over Jeff Bridich?” (The Athletic) — Confession time: I rolled my eyes when I read the headline, but this one is worth your time as there are some important notes in it.
- Howard Megdal’s “One Month Into The MLB Season, Which Rookies Are Standing Out?” (538.com) — Why, yes, a Rockie is getting noticed.
- “A Predictable Turn in the Ongoing Saga of Charlie Blackmon’s 1979 Pontiac Trans Am” (ALDLAND) — This is an unusual story.
- Noah Yingling’s “What Exactly Is the MVP Chain?” (Rox Pile) — Here’s what we know so far.
Weekend Walk-off
Since being a Ryan McMahon Defense Skeptic is apparently a thing now, I’ve decided it’s my lot in life to remind folks that McMahon is a very good defender. Check out this play during the second game against the Giants:
I’ll say it: Ryan McMahon should be an All Star.
Now to the emotional weekend waiting for everyone in St. Louis.
Thanks for reading —
Renee