Here\u2019s Charlie Blackmon in 2023<\/a>: \u201cThe Rockies want me to be here. Obviously, I want to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n In October 2024 when campaigning for a contract extension, Black told Patrick Saunders<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019m invested in this team and this organization and I want to be part of the solution to see this through.\u201d<\/p>\n I could go on, but you get the idea. Organizational loyalty was a valued commodity.<\/p>\n Given that Dick Monfort was famous for being loyal to a fault<\/a>, statements like these suggested fealty on the part of players and staff. This was probably, in part, an effort to ensure no more Arenado-esque defections \u2014 because if one thing became clear in 2020 and 2021, Nolan Arenado definitely did not want to be there.<\/p>\n Fans questioned what mattered most to the Rockies as they continued to promote from within and sign marginal free agents: baseball talent and winning or a commitment to the Rockies at all costs?<\/p>\n The Rockies needed three consecutive 100-loss seasons to make significant changes, but the rebuild began in earnest last November with the hiring of president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta<\/a> and general manager Josh Byrnes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the interesting thing: \u201cHe wants to be here\u201d is back, but it has a different meaning for DePodesta et al.<\/p>\n Warren Schaeffer speaks at Rockies Fest Colorado Rockies<\/p>\n This time, wanting to be in Denver isn\u2019t about loyalty or comfort: It\u2019s about embracing challenge and being uncomfortable.<\/p>\n Last weekend, I had the opportunity to speak with pitching coach Alon Leichman<\/a>. When I asked why he signed on to solve one of the most perplexing problems in baseball, he said, \u201cI think in baseball, especially in the pitching world, you have kind of two schools of thought: either stay away from Denver, or you want the challenge. So I\u2019m when an opportunity was given to me, I definitely wanted to run with it and see what we could do.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rockies are clear that they want players and staff in the latter category, those who want to be here and embrace the challenge.<\/p>\n Consider, DePodesta\u2019s comments<\/a> on Michael Lorenzen signing with the Rockies:<\/p>\n \u201cHe ran toward this challenge. Michael actively wanted to pitch here. He\u2019s done a lot of different things in his career \u2013 he was an outfielder, he\u2019s been a reliever, he\u2019s been a starting pitcher. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s afraid of anything. He\u2019s also got some history with some of our staff members, so I think there was some appeal there as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Lorenzen has said<\/a> the same thing:<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like there\u2019s a lot of new information to be learned, and that\u2019s kind of right up my alley. I enjoy problem solving. Failure is going to happen; trials are going to happen; you\u2019re going to get your teeth kicked in. But it\u2019s the problem solving and how to make the adjustments that I really enjoy. And Colorado, I feel like, presents that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what Josh Byrnes, who left the best organization in baseball to join the Rockies, said when asked what made him decide to come to Denver:<\/p>\n The challenge. I think it\u2019s a great challenge. I loved every day with the Dodgers. I mean, part of it, even leaving the Dodgers is like, never complacent about anything, always pushing, pushing, pushing, to be the best version of the Dodgers. So I think it\u2019s totally different here, right? 119 losses. Altitude. There\u2019s a lot, and never going to be that kind of payroll. So it\u2019s going to be a different puzzle, but very exciting: working with Paul again; knowing a lot of people in the organization; knowing the city. So if I were to leave the Dodgers, it had to be like the right people and the right challenge. You know, it wasn\u2019t an easy decision, but I think I\u2019m very glad I did it, and I can feel the challenge.<\/p>\n I want to quote one more player, this time Hunter Goodman<\/a>:<\/p>\n Last year, we had a super young team \u2014 me included. And I think we had a lot of guys, at least from watching games or being in the clubhouse, I think we had a lot of people that were happy to be here.<\/p>\n When I first got called up, it\u2019s like, you\u2019re just happy to be here, and you can\u2019t play like that.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got to walk on the field and be like, \u201cWe\u2019re the best team. I\u2019m the best player on the field.\u201d You got to walk on the field with a different level of confidence.<\/p>\n And I think there were some series and some games last year where you\u2019re walking onto the field as a team looking around, and maybe guys aren\u2019t super confident. Guys aren\u2019t. They\u2019re just happy to be there. So I think bringing a different mentality to the game would be a big step in the right direction.<\/p>\n If a player is \u201cjust happy to be there,\u201d then taking on a challenge doesn\u2019t really enter the equation.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s where \u201cHe wants to be here\u201d 2.0 comes in.<\/p>\n DePodesta, Byrnes, and Leichman are building a staff and a team that invites problem solving. In other words, this year, it\u2019s not enough to be happy to be there: A player has to embrace the challenge.<\/p>\n In an early morning Rockies Fest panel with season ticket holders, Byrnes stressed that they were looking for players with \u201ccuriosity\u201d and \u201cproblem solving\u201d skills, the kinds of skills that help players embrace, and not avoid, challenges. In other words, on-field skills aren\u2019t enough. There\u2019s an attitudinal component as well.<\/p>\n And, just to be clear, this attitude isn\u2019t just about players. Every member of DePodesta\u2019s staff I spoke with wanted the challenge. DePodesta has built a team of young and innovative minds willing to model for players the kind of experimentation, tenacity, and courage they will need for a successful rebuild.<\/p>\n After all, a rebuild isn\u2019t just about players; rather, it\u2019s redoing the philosophy and infrastructure of an entire organization.<\/p>\n DePodesta has his staff, a philosophy, and a plan. In a couple of weeks, we can start watching the implementation.<\/p>\n In new role within Rockies\u2019 revamped front office, Monfort knows much work remains | MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n Last week, Thomas Harding spoke with Walker Monfort about all the changes underway throughout the Rockies organization.<\/p>\n![\"Warren](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CRK00227.jpeg\"\/)
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