Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, June 9th, 2025
The Colorado Rockies are still not a good baseball team.
While the sweep against the almost equally-moribund Miami Marlins was a lot of fun, the visiting New York Mets promptly put the Rockies back in their place over the weekend.
Although there have been incremental and individual improvements, the team is still on pace to cruise well past 100 losses and and break the record for worst regular season record in the Modern Era.
To their credit, under interim manager Warren Schaeffer the Rockies clubhouse is doing their best to view a long-since-lost season as a learning opportunity and not dwell on the painful records being set.
“If not being the worst team in baseball is our main focus, then we’re going to be the worst team in baseball,” Kyle Freeland told ESPN. “Our focus is ‘Let’s get better every day.’ That’s the lens. We have a new manager, new coaches, a lot of moving parts. But let’s focus on ourselves.”
Alongside other veterans, Freeland is doing his best to keep the energy in the clubhouse positive for the young players finding their way in Major League Baseball. The Rockies have had eight different rookies debut in 2025: Chase Dollander, Zac Veen, Braxton Fulford, Juan Mejia, Carson Palmquist, Zach Agnos, Ryan Rolison, and Ryan Ritter.
“We have a lot of learning to do as a team,” Freeland said. “With a lot of young guys doing that learning. Us veterans have to keep the attitude of the team in the right spot.”
Ryan McMahon added to the sentiment.
“We have guys that care, and when you care, you carry it longer,” McMahon said. “But if you keep holding on to the night before, it’s not going to help today, and it’s going to be a long season. You have to flush it.”
While the clubhouse has the right attitude, there is still a worrying and frustrating lack of accountability and responsibility from the upper levels of the Rockies organization.
Monfort’s right-hand man for baseball operations, general manager Bill Schmidt, has also failed to take accountability for a team he ostensibly helped to build. Schmidt often falls back on blaming injuries and poor play for the state the Rockies are in currently, while also praising or offering sympathy towards his employer.
“It is what it is,” Schmidt recently told The Athletic. We’re trying to get better. I feel bad for our fans. They’re loyal, they care. Our ownership’s good, they care. We’ve got to turn it around somehow.”
Telling ESPN, “I’m embarrassed by what’s transpired” is the most we’ve seen in terms of accountability from the Rockies front office.
However, there are voices within the Rockies organization that recognize what is happening, and are clamoring for change. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer is among them.
“This is extremely personal to me,” Schaeffer told the Athletic. “It’s all I think about, day and night. I’ve only ever been a Rockie, and the Rockies have never won the West. The Rockies have never won the World Series. These are all things that are very, very important to me, and I think the opportunity is ripe at the moment to start building for that.”
Schaeffer has consistently referred to this season as an opportunity for learning, growth, and change. He is backed up by his bench coach and former ‘Rocktober’ manager Clint Hurdle, who also recognizes that the Rockies’ severe insularity is a problem that has the team playing catch-up.
“There’s too much information out there, there’s too many other teams doing things well in areas that we could use improvement to not knock on some other doors,” Hurdle said. “And I think we’re doing more of that. We have added to the R&D staff, because three years ago it was pretty much non-existent and now we’ve got (about) 20 people and it’s become more real. We put ourselves probably behind the pack in some areas and it’s made it tough. Now we’re catching up, and it is tough to play catch-up, initially.”
Meanwhile, Rockies radio play-by-play man Jack Corrigan appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and discussed the Rockies’ need to invest more resources into their minor league system and player development. Corrigan, 72, has been the voice of the Rockies on the radio since 2002 after spending the previous 18 years as a broadcaster for the now-Cleveland Guardians.
“At their Low-A team they have three coaches. Well, when I started with the Indians in 1985, the Low-A team had three coaches,” Corrigan explained to Patrick. “The way the game is, you need more than that and a lot of teams are doing that.
Patrick then asked if that meant the ownership was not committed.
“In that regard, it does not appear to be that way,” Corrigan responded. “That’s the challenge that maybe this year finally pushes them over the precipice, if you will, and they spend some money in that regard. They do have some good young talent in the system, but probably not enough to overcome the [draft] misses and the injuries.”
Outside of the clubhouse, former Rockies players are also pleading for the organization to make changes. Former Rockies third baseman and member of the legendary ‘Rocktober’ squad Garrett Atkins and one-time club single-season saves leader Dave Veres spoke to Sean Keeler of the Denver Post.
“It’s been the same group (of leaders) for 30 years,” said Veres, who tallied 31 saves for the team in 1999. “Throughout the whole organization, nothing’s really changed a whole lot. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different outcome?”
“I’m sure (it’s) the same questions the media, players, coaches, front office are getting daily from everywhere,” added Atkins, who spent seven years with the Rockies and came in fourth place for National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2005. “It’s got to be frustrating for everybody in the organization because it seems to be the same story every game. Turn the game on in the fourth inning, and they are losing, 3-1.”
When not just the fans, but also members of the team’s past and present are publicly speaking out for change, it is clear to everyone—but perhaps Dick Monfort and his inner circle—that the Colorado Rockies are in desperate need of a massive organizational overhaul.
Now it’s time for them to listen.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: El Paso Chihuahuas 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 4
The Isotopes rallied late but still fell short to the Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) to cement three straight losses and a series loss. Michael Toglia went 2-for-4 with a double while Aaron Schunk slugged his fourth Triple-A home run of the season. Mason Albright gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits—two of which were home runs.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 2
Home runs from Zach Kokoska and Jose Torres plated five of Hartford’s six runs against the Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) and bring the Yard Goats to a series win. Dyan Jorge and Juan Guerrero also turned in multi-hit games, with the Yard Goats totaling 11 on the day. Blake Adams gave up just two earned runs in his five innings of work while the bullpen—especially Sam Weatherly and Welinton Herrera—turned in strong performances to keep the Sea Dogs off the board the rest of the way.
High-A: Spokane Indians 9, Hillsboro Hops 8
The rare and exciting “balk-off” was the final note of tonight’s high-scoring game between the Indians and the Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks). With the bases loaded and Charlie Condon at the plate, Hops pitcher Edgar Isea issued a balk upon entering the game to plate the winning run. Condon was one of three Indians batters to turn in three-hit performances, including Aidan Longwell and Braylen Wimmer. The Indians had tons of base runners during the game with 15 hits and six walks.
Low-A: Stockton Ports 6, Fresno Grizzlies 3
The Grizzlies left 10 runners stranded and went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position as they scored just three runs—one each in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings—on 13 hits against the Stockton Ports (Sacramento Athletics). Robert Calaz went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, and the Grizzlies struck out 13 times overall. Kelvin Hidalgo, Blake Wright, and Tommy Hopfe each had three hits.
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Top prospect Condon has a career game at High-A | MLB.com
Last year’s top Rockies draft pick Charlie Condon has started to hit quite well since returning to the High-A Spokane Indians. In 18 games this season with Spokane he is hitting .339 with a .998 OPS. On Sunday Condon turned in the second three-hit game of his career while also scoring a career high three runs.
Nearing return, Gomber eager to help Rockies take next step | MLB.com
Left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber has missed the first 65 games of the Rockies’ season so far with a shoulder injury. He’s now started a minor league rehab assignment and is itching to return to regular play and help his team.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” Gomber said. “We’ve played better ball the last two weeks. The record doesn’t indicate it. We haven’t won as many games as we’d like to, but we’ve been in a lot of games. We’ll just try to take the next step and figure out how to win as a group.”
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