As one of the 5,000 Rockies fans to hear from the new front office and coaching staff and lean into the new-look Rockies organization at Rockies Fest on Jan. 24, I was struck by three things:<\/p>\n
A genuine feeling of optimismConsistent messagingThe emergence of three new core values that feel like the new direction is real<\/p>\n
First, a genuine feeling of optimism. <\/p>\n
Coming off 119 losses, it almost seems impossible, but I was inspired by the new Rockies leaders. Everyone I heard from who came to Colorado from other organizations mentioned being excited about the challenge of finding a way to win in Colorado\u2019s unique environment. They were also all focused on winning, which wasn\u2019t always communicated so clearly from the previous front office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was having a good time in the NFL and everything else, but the chance to be here in Denver, to be around this fan base that has supported this team \u2014 I mean, even during the last couple years \u2014 looked pretty amazing,\u201d said president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. \u201cAnd then to be able to, hopefully, do what we want to do, which is build not just a good team out in the field, but a championship organization, that\u2019ll be a championship contender, year in, year out, and do that here, I think it\u2019d be incredibly special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second, the consistency from the top down on the new vision for baseball in Colorado. <\/p>\n
From DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes and his assistants to the research and development department and players and coaches, everyone talked about winning and the excitement to explore new ideas on how to do it for pitchers and position players from Single-A to MLB.<\/p>\n
Third, three core principles of that winning vision came up over and over again in various sessions: learning from failure, embracing curiosity and sticking with the process. <\/p>\n
While all three values are closely linked, since there was so much discussion of the trio, I\u2019ll focus on failure this week, and curiosity and sticking with the process next week.<\/p>\n
I first heard failure come up when former Rockie turned announcer Ryan Spilborghs was moderating a panel with some of the new pitching coaches and members of the R&D department. Considering the Rockies have struggled to develop players in the past, despite calling themselves a draft-and-develop team<\/a>, there was a consistent theme around helping players learn to learn from and bounce back from setbacks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also like it when players fail. We, like, in general, we want, you want a pitcher to stink for a month and figure it out after that. You don\u2019t want it always to be, like, you\u2019re dominating, dominating, dominating \u2018cause you\u2019re gonna get your teeth kicked when you get here [MLB],\u201d Spilborghs said to kick off the discussion on failure. \u201cSo you have to have that background of, \u2018Okay, when I fail, this is what I did to get out of it.\u2019 \u2026 Failure is a huge, huge advocate for learning and to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n New pitching coach Alon Leichman, who worked on pitching coach staffs for the Marlins, Reds and Mariners before coming to Colorado, also mentioned how beneficial it is to have Minor League teams in Double-A Hartford, which has an altitude of 30 feet, and Triple-A Albuquerque, which sits at 5,312 feet. His biggest reason why the change is helpful is more exposure to failure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be really helpful because it lets them have an opportunity to fail. You know, they go from Connecticut to now altitude, and it\u2019s kind of like a test run for them of what it\u2019s gonna be like over here,\u201d Leichman said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s a super important level setting. We\u2019re hoping that they come, learn from their failures. Once they come here, it\u2019s not the first time they are experiencing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Understanding the new focus on growing from failure, especially since it\u2019s such a part of the game of baseball, made it easy to understand why the new front office and coaching staff wanted to sign pitcher Michael Lorenzen. The RHP is an 11-year veteran with a 4.08 career ERA who has pitched for the Reds, Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers and Royals. He represents the rare free agent pitcher who willingly signs a deal to pitch in Colorado.<\/p>\n Lorenzen credits his routine to his longevity, in addition to his love for problem-solving and ability to make and monitor adjustments. Considering the Rockies have recorded the worst team ERA in MLB every season since 2022, there is a big problem to be solved.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I do love is problem-solving and growing as a pitcher, and I have grown as a pitcher by failing,\u201d Lorenzen said in a panel with other members of the Rockies pitching staff. \u201cSo I feel like that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been able to stick around for as long as I have, and Colorado just seems untapped in that area. So we\u2019re gonna fail a little bit, but we have a good coaching staff that has been brought in and a new front office that has been brought in to hopefully make that learning curve a lot shorter than normal.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Ribas, the new assistant pitching coach, was on the same page. Ribas has dealt with his fair share of helping develop prospects and coach MLB pitchers as he spent the last five years as the director of pitching for the Detroit Tigers and four years as a pitching coordinator with the Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n \u201cA wise person once said to me, \u2018You do not want them experiencing failure for the first time at the Major League level.\u2019 That is a recipe for disaster,\u201d Ribas said. \u201c\u2026 So nobody should panic when they get their teeth kicked in in Fresno or Albuquerque or Harford or wherever. That\u2019s all part of the learning curve.\u201d<\/p>\n Ribas then looked out to the audience and talked about the lessons that failure can teach us all outside of the game of baseball.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I would do a poll in this room. How many people have walked away from something successful going, \u2018Man, I learned so much.\u2019 Right?\u201d Ribas said. \u201cIt\u2019s when you get beat up. It\u2019s how you respond. That sparks learning and curiosity. And anything that\u2019s worth having is hard. And they\u2019re gonna experience that.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the last few seasons, the Rockies have experienced more failure than success. Since 2021, their 504 losses are the most in MLB. Now, it\u2019s time to learn from that failure, keep learning from that failure, fail and bounce back and do it all over again.<\/p>\n It takes resiliency and curiosity to make that process work, which we\u2019ll dive into next week.<\/p>\n Will Rockies lose 90 games or fewer in 2026? | Mailbag | Denver Post ($)<\/a><\/p>\n Patrick Saunders admits to being optimistic, but doesn\u2019t believe the Rockies will improve as much as the headline hopes. He also shares his thoughts on Kris Bryant\u2019s status, if he thinks Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez will return, who will lead the team in saves and more.<\/p>\n 2026 MLB farm system rankings: Prospect insights, analysis | ESPN.com<\/a><\/p>\n The good news? The Rockies aren\u2019t in last place.<\/p>\n The bad news? They are ranked No. 28, ahead of only Houston and San Diego.<\/p>\n