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<\/a><\/p>\nThe ACL Rockies celebrate their championship at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on July 28, 2026 Credit: Fred Ocasio<\/p>\n
He also gave credit to his staff for their help along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt good. It\u2019s obviously always good and it feels good to be named Manager of the Year,\u201d he said, \u201cbut one thing I told the group here with the Rockies and the ACL is that for me, I feel it shouldn\u2019t be Manager of the Year. It should be Staff of the Year because I was the manager here, but we had some hitting coaches, we had some pitching coaches and catching coaches. It was a group thing, we all did it together. We all worked hard every day to get these players better and work with them. So I was named Manager of the Year, but for me, it\u2019s Staff of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The friends made along the way<\/p>\n
Ocasio has had a long tenure with the Rockies and has coached many players including Juan Uribe and Matt Holliday. But he also coached another notable Rockie: current manager Warren Schaeffer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the manager in Tri-City and Schaeffer was drafted that year,\u201d Ocasio recalled. \u201cHe came first actually to Tri-City, back when we had those two teams \u2013 Tri-City and Casper in the short season. So when he got drafted, they sent him to Tri-City. He was going to be with that team, and I don\u2019t remember if it was one or two practices that he was there. We were doing a mini camp, and then something happened in Casper where I got a call saying, \u2018We need a shortstop. We need somebody that can play defense.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Well, Schaeffer\u2019s your guy.\u2019 So the he ended up going to Casper and starting his career in Casper as a baseball player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schaeffer remembered it a little bit differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first got drafted in \u201807, I went to Tri-City not knowing what to expect. He was the manager there. I was there for, like, four days, and Freddie shipped me out to Casper,\u201d Schaeffer recalled. \u201cWe still joke about that today \u2014 he needed some guys that could hit, so he shipped me out. But Freddie\u2019s the best. I mean, he\u2019s literally the best. He wins everywhere he\u2019s at. He finds a great atmosphere. He\u2019s so much fun to be around. Everybody jokes with him. He\u2019s a really, really good baseball man. Freddie\u2019s just a Rockies staple.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Schaeffer remembers his time with Ocasio fondly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just the same guy every day,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s never in a bad mood. He\u2019s always for the player. He likes to have a good time. Everybody\u2019s unique in how they coach and how they manage, and Freddie\u2019s definitely unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ocasio is also proud of how Schaeffer worked his way up the Rockies\u2019 system.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to watch him (manage the Rockies). He\u2019s a very, very good baseball person and an awesome human being,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Schaeffer made sure to emphasize one thing: The importance of having your best teachers in the lower levels to set a foundation for the rest of an organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s been an age-old debate,\u201d he said. \u201cSince I\u2019ve been coaching \u2013 especially in a development-centered organization like ours \u2013 a lot of people always say that you want to have your best teachers in the lower levels and pay them more than anybody else because when you\u2019re coming in and the guys are freshly getting drafted or getting onboarded with what we\u2019re trying to do, it\u2019s a daily grind. It\u2019s a process everywhere you\u2019re at \u2013 High-A, Low-A, Double-A, Triple-A. It\u2019s a daily grind, but it\u2019s all different. And to have guys like that, like Freddie, who are great teachers at that level and they are persistent and keep doing every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ultra important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 10, Tacoma Rainiers 6<\/a><\/p>\n Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP<\/a>) was a one-man wrecking crew for the Isotopes today, scoring nine of their 10 runs. Oh, and he also hit two grand slams \u2014 one in the third inning and another in the eighth. His other RBI came off a double in the fourth inning, and the 10th RBI came from Sterlin Thompson (No. 16 PuRP<\/a>) when he walked with the bases loaded to set up Condon\u2019s first slam.<\/p>\n The slams were set up as such. In the third inning, Bryant Betancourt singled and Conner Capel popped out. Then Drew Avans singled, Nic Kent was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Thompson walked to load them again and then Condon happened. In the eighth, Cappel doubled, Avans hit a sac bunt, Kent walked, Thompson was hit by a pitch, and then Condon happened again.<\/p>\n Kent and Braxton Fulford were the only Isotopes without a hit.<\/p>\n The Rainiers (Mariners) put up a fight, though. They struck first, scoring three runs in the second inning. They also battled back in the fifth with two more runs, and their final was scored in the eighth to tie the game at six (and then Condon said \u2018hold my beverage\u2019 in the next inning).<\/p>\n On the pitching side, Case Williams pitched just 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on one hit with four walks and one strikeout. Blake Adams came in after him, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. Evan Shawver got the hold with his 1.1 innings of work (3 hits, 1 BB); Andrew Baker blew the save in his 1.2 innings (2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K); and TJ Shook earned the win in his final 1.1 perfect innings.<\/p>\n Double-A: Reading Fightin Phils 6, Hartford Yard Goats 2<\/a><\/p>\n The Yard Goats were less fortunate in their matchup against the Fightin Phils (Phillies). They mustered eight hits, but only two came around to score. Kyle Karros continued his rehab assignment, going 2-for-4 with a walk, and Dyan Jorge went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and a strikeout. The two RBI came from Zach Kokoska, who went 1-for-4 with a home run, a run scored, two RBI and a strikeout.<\/p>\n Reading jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning when Bryan Rincon led off the game with a walk and then Pedro Le\u00f3n homered two batters later. Raylin Heredia then walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a balk. Then Raider Tello homered to put the Phils up 4-0. The Goats fought back in the fourth when Jorge singled with two outs and stole second, and then was driven home when Kokoska homered. But the Phils piled on more runs in the eighth when four-straight players reached to score two more runs and make the score 6-2.<\/p>\n On the pitching side, Sam Weatherly opened and pitched just 1.2 innings. He allowed four runs on three hits with three walks, a strikeout and two homers. Cade Denton came in to relieve him, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings and allowing three hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Nathan Blasick pitched the final two innings, allowing the two runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.<\/p>\n High-A: Spokane Indians 10, Everett AquaSox 4<\/a><\/p>\n The Indians made a statement in their final game, beating the AquaSox (Mariners) by a score of 10-4. Every Indian who had a hit had at least two, except for Jacob Hinderleider who went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Max Belyeu (No. 23 PuRP<\/a>) didn\u2019t record a hit, but he drew a walk, while Juan Castillo just went 0-for-2 before being pinch hit for.<\/p>\n Ethan Hedges and Robert Calaz each had three RBI. Hedges went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout. Calaz went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Dalis went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.<\/p>\n Everett scored first when Luke Stevenson singled to kick off the game and Luke Suisbel walked. Two batters later, Brandon Eike doubled to score Stevenson. But in the bottom of the first, Belyeu walked and Derek Bernard grounded into a force out to get Belyeu. But then Hedges doubled to score Bernard from first. Dalis then homered to tack on two more runs, and Calaz grounded out. But then Tanner Thach doubled and Hidalgo singled to make the score 4-0. Everett struck again in the third with another run, but then two batters into their half, Calaz homered to make the score 6-2. Back-to-back singles and a sac bunt then set up Hinderleider to sacrifice in Thach, and a single and a homer into the fourth made the score 9-2.<\/p>\n The Indians scored again in the seventh when Calaz hit a leadoff homer, and that was it for them. But the AquaSox were able to knock in two more runs in the ninth to make the final score 10-4.<\/p>\n On the pitching side, Yujanyer Herrera threw five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Luke Hansel relieved him for the final four, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts to earn the save.<\/p>\n Low-A: San Jose Giants 5, Fresno Grizzlies 3<\/a><\/p>\n The Grizzlies were not as lucky in their final game, as they fell to the Giants (Giants) 5-3.<\/p>\n San Jose kicked things off right out of the gate when Lorenzo Meola hit a leadoff homer. Luke Nixon then doubled and Dario Reynoso struck out. But then Jeremiah Jenkins was hit by a pitch and Drew Smith singled to score Nixon. They scored again in the third when Nixon walked to lead things off and Reynoso struck out again, but then Jenkins singled and Drew Smith grounded out to score Nixon. In the fifth, Reynoso led off with a double and was scored two batters later by a Smith single to make things 4-0.<\/p>\n The Grizzlies finally got on the board in the fifth when Jesus Freitez tripled, Cort MacDonald doubled to score him, and Kyle Fossum singled to score MacDonald. Sebastian Blanco then doubled to score Fossum and put the Grizzlies within on, but they were unable to capitalize on the pitching change after that. The final run of the game was scored in the ninth when Yanzel Correa got two quick outs, but then hit Meola, who stole second, and allowed a hit to Nixon to make the final score 5-3. The Grizzlies went 1-2-3 in the ninth, when Carlos Renzullo was called out on strikes to end it.<\/p>\n Ronny Ugarte went 2-for 4 with a strikeout. MacDonald went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. And Freitez, Fossum and Blanco each had one hit apiece.<\/p>\n On the pitching side, Tanner Sagouspe was the only pitcher to not allow a run, pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth in which he didn\u2019t allow a hit nor a run, and only walked one while striking out three.<\/p>\n Sac-bunt extraordinaire Veen embracing new role with Rockies | MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n Zac Veen has had a few clutch hits this week, including two late safety squeezes against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday and Saturday. He also had a clutch hit late in yesterday\u2019s contest, as well as one on Wednesday that set up the walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles. Thomas Harding spoke with Veen about his new role and how he\u2019s fitting in with this team since he was called up just a few short weeks ago, and asked Warren Schaeffer a little bit about how he constructs his lineups throughout the game.<\/p>\n With Orioles in Denver, Holliday family creating more memories at Coors Field | Denver Gazette ($)<\/a><\/p>\n It was a special series for both the Rockies (who won two of three games against the Orioles) and Jackson Holliday, as he recorded his first home run at the ballpark he grew up going to with his dad, Matt, and brother, Ethan, who is now in the Rockies organization. Kevin Henry caught up with the elder brother about his memories, as well as gets an update on the younger brother as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot that ended his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n Fewer adsCreate community posts<\/a>Comment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!<\/p>\n