Rockies Mailbag: Bud Black to Padres? Who’s Rox next breakout player? – The Denver Post

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.

Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

With the Padres doing another faceplant and then firing (manager) Jayce Tingler, do you think they would ever consider hiring Bud Black away from the Rockies?

— Chad, Laguna Hills, Calif.

Chad, until you brought this up, I had not even thought about it. Now I’m thinking about it a little more.

First of all, Black is under contract with the Rockies through next season and he has every intention of finishing out his deal. However, according to team president Greg Feasel, there have been no talks about a contract extension.

Having said that, I did discuss the possibility of Black going to the Padres with someone who’s closely connected to the Rockies and who talks to Black on a regular basis. His point was that Black, even though he’s 64, would bring the type of leadership and stability the Padres need right now. San Diego still has a lot of talent, even though it was squandered this season.

Black managed the Padres from 2007 through the first 65 games of the 2015 season before he was fired by general manager A.J. Preller. Tingler, by the way, was the fourth manager Preller has fired in Preller’s seven-plus seasons.

Black lives in Castle Pines during the season but his offseason home is near San Diego. If the Padres come calling, now or in the near future, I think Black would listen. He loves San Diego and his grandchildren live there.

Realistically, however, I don’t think the Rockies would let go of Black and I don’t know if Preller would even consider him as a candidate.

With Bill Schmidt taking over as the GM, what is the expectation, timeline-wise, for the Rockies to see success before fans/media put him on the hot seat? I’m hopeful — but doubtful — this will work with Schmidt.

— Carson, Denver

Carson, I’m cautiously hopeful, too. But the Rockies have a lot of holes to fill, as I pointed out in my end-of-season story.

From what I’ve heard from die-hard Rockies fans, Schmidt (and owner Dick Monfort) are already on the hot seat. Some of the media are a little more patient than the fans, but some media members have already labeled the Rockies a lost cause.

Schmidt has made two smart moves already by signing starter Antonio Senzatela and first baseman C.J. Cron. However, if the Rockies don’t make any other significant moves to improve the team in the offseason, the timeline for the hot seat will get significantly shorter and fans will show less patience.

Not a question, sorry. I give Bill Schmidt a lot of credit for Antonio Senzatela and C.J. Cron. Maybe especially Cron — for the first time in years the Rockies have a decent first baseman.

— Bill, Denver

Bill, duly noted.

I was impressed with Cron, too. He surprised me with his agility around the bag, especially scooping up throws in the dirt. He doesn’t have great range, but his home runs make up for that.

The two-year, $14.5 million contract was the right length, especially since the Rockies have prospect Michael Toglia projected to make the majors at some point in 2023, or even at the tail end of 2022.

Still, Cron needs to improve his home-road splits. Although he led the Rockies in both homers (28) and RBIs (92), he was a two-faced player. He slashed .326/.412/.661 with 19 homers at Coors Field vs. .235/.337/.397 with nine homers on the road.

“He’ll be the first to tell you that (his splits) were pretty drastic, and he would like to improve on those,” manager Bud Black said toward the end of the season. “And that’s something we’ve talked about a lot.”

Hi Patrick, thank you for your excellent coverage of the Rockies during the 2021 season. I have a question from this side of the pond. Why do you think Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story underperformed during their last season in Denver (I’ve assumed Story will become a free agent and sign elsewhere)?

— David, Selsey, West Sussex, England

Cheerio, David. Thanks for the compliment.

You’re correct that both Story and Arenado — who are good friends — turned in subpar seasons in their final years in Colorado.

There are, however, different reasons for their off years.

In the 60-game, 2020 season, Arenado played with a sore shoulder and it hampered him as he hit just .253 with a .738 OPS and eight homers in 182 at-bats. I think it bothered him more than he let on.

I’m also of the opinion that Arenado was unhappy in Colorado and tired of feuding with former GM Jeff Bridich. I think it affected him and I don’t think he played with his usual energy.

At the all-star break, Arenado went out of his way to say that wasn’t true, but I still believe it was. At least that’s how I read his body language.

This past season, Story developed some bad habits at the plate and with his throws from shortstop. He said he’s going to study his season and make adjustments during the offseason.

I thought his injured elbow was a major factor in his off-target throws, but I was assured at the end of the season by several Rockies that Story’s elbow is fine.

In his contract season, Story hit just .251 with a .801 OPS, but he rebounded late and finished with 24 home runs. I believe Story has a number of all-star seasons in his future.

Who’s primed for a breakout season in 2022? I feel like Brendan Rodgers finally started showing glimpses of that top-flight prospect we’ve all heard about over the years. Do you think he’ll finally be healthy and live up to the hype?

— Miles, Parker

Miles, I think Rodgers has already turned the corner and I think he’ll begin to live up to the hype next season. I’m not sure he’s the answer at shortstop, and the Rockies have questions, too, but Rodgers can become a quality second baseman who hits for power.

I recently wrote an in-depth story on Rodgers and his impressive 2021 season. Rodgers believes he’s ready to take his game to a higher level.

As for my other picks for breakout seasons in 2022, I would look at lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath and right-hander reliever Tyler Kinley. I think center fielder Sam Hilliard has incredible potential but he still has a lot to prove.

Finally, I’m eager to see if Connor Joe is a productive everyday left fielder or more of a fourth outfielder. The Rockies’ brass is still debating that question and waiting to see if Joe can take his game to another level on a consistent basis.

Patrick, if Bill Schmidt can’t re-sign Jon Gray to a deal this offseason, who do you think will step up as the No. 5 starter? Will they finally see what Ryan Rolison has to offer? Maybe spend some money on a free-agent groundball pitcher? Don’t you dare say Chi Chi Gonzalez. And who do you think will win the World Series this year?

— David, Denver

David, it won’t be Chi Chi Gonzalez, whom the Rockies designated for assignment at the end of the season. If Gray doesn’t come back — and I’m starting to think he won’t return — right-hander Peter Lambert and Rolison, a lefty, will battle it out during spring training for the fifth spot. Based on what I’ve seen, Lambert will probably win the job but I think Rolison has a bigger upside and he’ll be in the rotation at some point early next season.

The World Series? Well, before the season started, I picked the Padres and Yankees to be in it, so that tells you something about my skills as a prognosticator.

As I write this, the Dodgers are clobbering the Giants in Game 4 of the NLDS and the Braves have already advanced to the NLCS by upsetting Milwaukee. I think — I hope — the Giants will keep the magic going and advance to the Series.

But I fear that the Giants will ultimately lose to the Astros.

Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

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