What would Amiel Sawdaye bring to the Colorado Rockies?

It is not yet officially the holiday season, but as fans wait for the Colorado Rockies to announce their new president of baseball operations/general manager, the mood is highly anticipatory.

We know a few things now that we did not know at this time last week.

First, Patrick Saunders’ reported that the Rockies will not determine the position’s title (PBO or GM) until the candidate is selected. Moreover, also according to Saunders’ reporting, the Rockies only intend to hire one position.

Second, on Wednesday afternoon, Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic provided an update on the Rockies’ search:

The Colorado Rockies have begun to pare down their list for their next head of baseball operations, with Arizona’s Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland’s Matt Forman two of the finalists for the job, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.

There remains a possibility that other finalists exist, but both Kansas City’s Scott Sharp and Toronto’s James Click — who garnered interest according to The Athletic’s previous reporting — are no longer under consideration, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Evan Lang supplemented their reporting, which you may read here. Additionally, I’ve written about Forman before (though I’ve found it difficult to learn much about him).

However, Arizona Diamondbacks senior vice president/assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye is a relatively new figure to Rockies fans, and it’s worth taking a moment to learn more about him and his background.

Sounds intriguing. What can you tell us?

A good place to start is with this article published about him last summer in a University of Maryland alumni magazine. (He graduated in 1999.)

A native of Baltimore, Sawdaye started his Terrapin career as a neurobiology major with plans to possibly work in sports medicine. (Plus, his parents, like so many others, hoped to have a doctor in the family.) However, Sawdaye soon realized that information systems was a better fit and headed for a new major and the business school.

After graduation, he started a corporate job at General Electric, but soon decided to make an go of it in sports and in 2002 began interning with the Boston Red Sox. He quickly advanced in their system and from 2005-2009 served as their assistant director of amateur scouting. He was promoted to director of amateur scouting in 2010. The draft that saw the Red Sox getting Mookie Betts? That was Sawdaye’s work, and he was also a big part of the D-backs’ signing Corbin Carroll.

During that time, Sawdaye met current D-backs executive vice president and general manager Mike Hazen. He worked on three World Series-winning teams during his 15 seasons with the Sox.

As D-backs manager Torrey Lovullo told Mike Ferrin Friday, October 24, 2025, on MLB Network Radio’s Power Alley, “He’s the architect of several of the Boston Red Sox world championships.”

Sawdaye headed to the desert with Mike Hazen in 2017. Currently, he is a senior video president and assistant general manager. In his job, he oversees scouting and provides input on baseball operations.

Lovullo told Ferrin, “He basically took us [the D-backs] from a 29th/30th-ranked minor-league system and built us up to one of the top.”

Then Lovullo added, “He’s an unbelievable architect. He understands the game from every level.”

Sawdaye operates as Hazen’s second-in-command and was the acting general manager when Hazen took a leave of absence in 2021.

Worth noting is the fact that Sawdaye is familiar with the NL West and has a sense of baseball at elevation. These strike me as significant pluses.

Let’s talk about leadership

Any PBO/GM is put in charge of leading an organization, and on that front, there are a couple of interesting notes when considering Sawdaye’s career.

Check out this note from Lovullo:

He knows big markets, small markets, but at the end of the day, he’s a connector of people. He cares about human beings, and he does it right. Everything that he does, every conversation that he has, is very thorough. It’s very honest and very genuine. And you know, wherever this goes, or whatever direction the Rockies go in, and if it is true that he is auditioning, I think it would be a great, great move for the Rockies to hire Amiel.

A “connector of people.” Reader, I am very here for that.

And check out this from that University of Maryland alumni magazine interview:

Sawdaye’s ascension through the MLB front office ranks can be attributed to three major factors: honesty, accountability and cultivating relationships. He describes his leadership style as being centered around making himself approachable to everyone at all levels of an organization. That includes maintaining open, candid dialogue and sometimes holding tough and vulnerable conversations.

It’s worth pointing out that this is the language Brené Brown uses in her Dare to Lead leadership series: accountability, honesty, and a willingness to have vulnerable conversations, so I would assume this is a pillar in Sawdaye’s leadership philosophy.

Rockies interim bench coach Clint Hurdle is a Brené Brown fan — I’ve talked to him about it. If Hurdle has a voice in this search, he would probably approve.

A note about his family

Sawdaye and his wife, Danielle, have three children, and his daughter Mia has Williams Syndrome.

According to the Williams Syndrome Association,

Williams syndrome is a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone. This distinct condition encompasses both medical and cognitive challenges, such as cardiovascular issues, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. Surprisingly, those with Williams syndrome exhibit remarkable verbal abilities, highly social personalities, and a profound love for music.

Roughly 25,000-30,000 Americans have Williams Syndrome.

The D-backs have taken on raising awareness of Williams Syndrome (read more about that here), and should Sawdaye become the Rockies’ next PBO/GM, hopefully the Rockies would continue that work.

Okay, tell us something interesting

I’m ready.

Last week in the Purple Row comments, Sage Rylee Farron linked to this podcast conversation on Baseball Isn’t Boring. It’s worth your time.

I’ll make two notes.

First, it is so great to hear a front office person talking clearly about their approach to the game — and since addressing the Rockies’ trust issues with fans is going to be a big part of the job, this strikes me as a challenge Sawdaye is ready for.

Second, late in the show, Rob Bradford challenges Sawdaye to commit to getting a “Baseball Isn’t Boring” tattoo should the D-back win the World Series next year. Even thought Mike Hazen has already agreed, a visibly uncomfortable Sawdaye declines. “I can’t commit to that,” he says.

Can’t really be interviewing for the Rockies job having made a promise like that.

Closing thoughts

According to Ghiroli and Rosenthal, the Rockies may be considering additional candidates. (Look, the folks at 20th and Blake can keep a secret.) But Amiel Sawdaye seems a viable candidate for the PBO/GM job with the Rockies.

Thomas Harding reported yesterday that Forman visited Coors Field last week, and Sawdaye will be there early this week.

Now we wait.

There’s not a lot of Rockies writing to share — everyone is waiting for what’s next. Still, here are two pieces to pass along.

Grading Rockies pitching staff after disastrous 2025 campaign | Yardbarker

You knew it was bad. Scott Roche has the details.

Amiel Sawdaye | Navigating Sports Business

Here’s a conversation with Sawdaye from 2021 where he discusses a number of topics that may be of interest to Rockies fans.

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What would Amiel Sawdaye bring to the Colorado Rockies?

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