Last week following the promotion of Walker Monfort to Colorado Rockies executive vice president, Troy Renck of the Denver Post weighed in. Among a number of recommendations, Renck wrote this:
The Rockies must hire an external president for baseball operations, a window left open with Walker’s new title (Former Rangers, Twins and Rockies executive Thad Levine should be a candidate).
The list of those calling for an external evaluator is steadily growing longer.
Clearly, there’s Renck. Add to him Ryan Spilborghs as well as Purple Row’s Evan Lang. Last week, Charlie Monfort called for “a new set of eyeballs,” and, notably, Dick Monfort said, “[I]t probably is time to have somebody who has a fresh opinion, a fresh set of eyes. . . . I’m not opposed to bringing people in from the outside.”
Will the Rockies invite an external evaluator to Coors Field for a comprehensive inventory? No one knows. However, Renck’s mention of Thad Levine seems worth pursuing. Given that he’s been associated with the Rockies before (more on that in a moment), he might be a good fit for this job.
Who is this guy?
Thad Levine, 53, is a native of Alexandria, Virginia. He played baseball for Division III Havorford College and graduated in 1994. After that, he completed an MBA at UCLA in 1999.
Although he started his baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in business development, in 1999, he signed on with the Rockies and performed various front office roles, including senior director of baseball operations. Levine worked at 20th and Blake until 2005.
That’s when he left to become the assistant general manager for the Texas Rangers.
Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Following the 2016 season, Levine headed north to become the Minnesota Twins general manager. He was part of an effective team with Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations. Before his arrival, the Twins had only 59 wins in the 2016 season. However, since they, the Twins have gone to the MLB postseason three times and won the AL Central twice.
His contract with the Twins expired in 2024, and he left the organization.
“I’m really excited about what the next challenge may hold for me because I feel as if I’ve found real, substantive fulfillment throughout my career in working in conjunction with senior leaders and helping in any way that I can,” Levine said in his final press conference.
Then he added this: “I’ve heard told tales from agents and players from days of yore that there’s this mystical panacea called free agency,” Levine said. “I’m blessed that it took me 25 years to get there. I really count myself blessed and here I am so I’m a little bit intrigued at the notion of what free agency may have in store for me.”
(Oh, Thad, have we got a challenge for you.)
Worth noting as well, both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies expressed interest in hiring Levine as their general manager during his tenure with the Twins.
Wait. He’s had experience with the Rockies?
He has, which seems like a real plus given Dick Monfort’s reluctance to trust anyone outside the organization.
When Jeff Bridich was fired in 2021, Bob Nightengale reported that Levine was a top candidate to be the Rockies general manager. He wrote, “He spent six years with the Rockies before leaving for the Texas Rangers in 2005, and is widely respected by Monfort and the rest of the organization.”
That Monfort thinks highly of Levine is no small thing.
Nightengale added, “The position may be the most daunting, challenging GM job in the game with Coors Field’s high altitude, massive outfield and graveyard for pitching.”
Nightengale wrote that on April 26, 2021. It is safe to assume the degree of difficulty that accompanies being the Colorado Rockies general manager has only grown since.
As it stands, the Rockies currently have a general manager in Bill Schmidt. The question here is if Levine would be both an effective outside evaluator.
Can you share something interesting?
You know, he’s pretty low-key — no movie cameos or extreme hobbies or anything like that. (He played youth soccer with Paul DePodesta?)
However, if you’d just like to get a sense of who he is in terms of his baseball acumen, here’s an interview he did a couple of weeks ago with the MLB Network:
So, is this happening?
Only Dick Monfort can answer that, but we know he said a week ago that the organization needs a new perspective, and for a number of reasons, Thad Levine seems like a good fit.
Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images
He’s familiar, which should allay some of Monfort’s concerns about outsiders who do not understand the challenges of playing at elevation. In addition, he signed on with that bad Twins team in 2016. All indications suggest the 2025 Rockies will be worse, but Levine knows what it’s like to walk into a mess and clean it up.
What the outside evaluation would entail, no one knows, but presumably, Dick Monfort would set those parameters. What we do know is that the Colorado Rockies need to make significant changes.
Thad Levine may be the perfect person to get that process started.
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“You’re outta here!”
Let’s take a minute to appreciate that Warren Schaeffer ejection from Sunday:
Look, if you’re gonna get tossed, get your money’s worth.
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Moving up
Last night, Chase Ford reported that Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP) has been promoted to Double-A Hartford.
The Rockies first-round pick in the 2024 Draft was slashing .312/.431/.420 in 35 games for High-A Spokane.
In addition, MiLB Central posted that Jared Thomas (No. 14 PuRP) has been promoted to Hartford as well.
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Feltner nearing return to Rockies after third rehab start | MLB.com
Although he will probably need one more ABQ start, Ryan Feltner is close to returning. While the box score may not be too impressive, the Rockies are pleased his velocity is returning.
Will Rockies’ ‘Birdman’ fly? Reliever Jake Bird’s success sparks trade rumors | Denver Post ($)
Patrick Saunders writes, “So Bird stands as a bellwether for Colorado’s present and future. In the past, the Rockies likely would have held on to a talented pitcher like Bird, perpetually believing they were about to turn the proverbial corner. Perhaps they would have even offered him a contract extension.
“But amid a historically awful year, things are different.”
We’ll know soon enough.
Built different or skill issue? A BaseRuns game show: Offense edition | FanGraphs
Why are the Rockies so ineffective on the base paths? To quote Kiri Oler, “Colorado’s base-running struggles are just a grab bag of weird.”
Erie Moon Mammoths Stomp into UPMC Park | MiLB.com
Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about John Oliver’s contest to rename an MiLB baseball team? Last night, he gave the details of the rebrand.
Also, there’s this:
Yes, there’s merch.
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