Clint Hurdle Is Back with the Rockies. Now What?

The Colorado Rockies made the announcement Thursday afternoon on X:

On one hand, the move was not unexpected given the offensive funk the Rockies have been in since 2021. (Evan Lang goes into the details here, so I won’t rehash them, but it’s worth noting the Rockies‘ 195 Ks lead the National League. If a team isn’t getting on base, they probably have a limited offense, a fact reflected in the 52 runs they have scored, fewest in baseball.)

Meulens became the Rockies hitting coach in 2022. Before that, he was with the San Francisco Giants, and as their hitting coach, he helped the team win three World Series. He also spent time with the New York Yankees.

However, his time in Colorado has ended. How much responsibility does he bear for the moribund Rockies offense? That’s hard to answer, but the question no longer matters since it’s a new day at Coors Field.

Hurdle is a familiar face.

He was the Rockies’ hitting coach from 1997-2002. During that time, he worked under Don Baylor, Jim Leyland, and Buddy Bell. He went on to manage the team from 2002-09, including that mythic “Rocktober” of 2007.

Things changed rapidly after that.

Some 18 months later, Hurdle was fired in late May 2009 after the team went 18-28 to start the year. Following that, he was a hitting coach for the Texas Rangers (2009-2010) before becoming the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (2011-2019), a job he was fired from at the end of the 2019 season.

In 2021, Hurdle came out of retirement and returned to the Rockies as a special assistant to the general manager. The part-time job had him moving throughout the Rockies farm system to work with prospects.

Anyone who attended Rockies Fest for the last two years has seen Hurdle moderating prospects panels, an environment that showed his relationship with the young men.

But now, the deed is done. What does it mean? Here’s my best attempt to divine the thinking of one of MLB’s most opaque organizations.

There had to be a change — Look, the Rockies’ record is 3-15, the worst in MLB. Moreover, their lack of offense had become a punchline. Just practically speaking, the Rockies needed a jolt to the system, and changing their hitting coach was one way to do that. (Whether it works is a different question, but it indicates a desire to at least try something different.)

Dick Monfort trusts Hurdle — There’s a lot of talk about the closed nature of Monfort’s hiring process — and it’s accurate. In bringing back Hurdle, Monfort is relying on an old friend, someone he trusts and who has a history (albeit brief) of winning. As Monfort showed in his nostalgic interview with Mark Kiszla, he remembers 2007 fondly. Hiring back Hurdle is (perhaps?) a way to rekindle that magic. (Consider me skeptical on that one.)

Hurdle injects stability into the system — No one knows what’s happening in that clubhouse save the players, but there’s no way a start this bad isn’t discouraging, especially for young players trying to get comfortable at the MLB level. Hurdle is not only familiar to ownership but also to the prospects who have worked with him in the Rockies system.

Here I’m speaking from my experience as an employee in higher education, not as a baseball writer, but when any organization encounters chaos, stability is key. Familiarity can help establish stability more quickly. Hurdle’s presence and positive outlook may help stabilize a season beginning to spin out of control.

Also, for those asking that the Rockies take a new approach, that’s an offseason move. Bringing in new personnel now would only inject more uncertainty. As a their top priority, the Rockies need to right the ship.

Hurdle’s presence provides a bridge — A common complaint of fans is that Bud Black plays veterans over younger players. Because of injuries, that’s not possible this season, and the Rockies have seen a rapid influx of young talent: Chase Dollander, Zac Veen, Adael Amador. and Braxton Fulford. Plus, we know more young pitchers are coming.

Having Hurdle in the clubhouse improves communication between Black and the prospects.

Okay, but will it matter?

That’s the big question.

For those speculating that Hurdle hopes to return to managing, it strikes me as unlikely. He’s 67 and has been clear that he likes retirement. (At one point, he said he seldom wears a uniform anymore.) Plus, he recently released a book — returning to coaching will put a kink in his promotional schedule. So I see Hurdle as a stabilizing placeholder until the Rockies can figure out what’s next.

But it also seems like a cautionary note to Bud Black. After all, the Rockies did not promote, say Jordan Pacheco, from Triple-A. Instead, they brought in someone who is, effectively, Black’s equal.

I am not yet of the opinion that Black won’t finish the season. But if he doesn’t, Hurdle will be perfectly positioned to step in until the Rockies can plan for the future.

Then again, this is the Rockies, so who knows?

What I’m Reading

• Troy Renck’s “Clint Hurdle's Return Will Be Hit for Rockies if It Inspires Accountability from Dick Monfort” (Denver Post) — Renck is not holding back this year, and in this column, he lauds the change.

• Samantha Bradfield’s “Chase Dollander Reflects on His Debut Week: “It’s Me Against Execution’” (Purple Row) — Dollander is a terrific interview, and Bradfield catches him in a reflective mood.

• David Laurila’s “Randal Grichuk Addresses His 2015 FanGraphs Scouting Report” (FanGraphs) — One of my favorite baseball series this season is Laurila’s asking players to evaluate their careers through the lens of early predictions. Since Grichuk is a former Rockie, this seemed like a good one to share.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for this week.

Apologies for being a day late. I had finished my newsletter (about a very different topic), but then the new broke about the Rockies coaching changes, and that seemed the more timely subject.

Then I thought I would finish up my newsletter while waiting to fly out Friday morning, but there was — I kid you not — no WiFi in the airport. So, today it is.

We’ll see how those new City Connects play.

As always, thanks for reading.

Renee

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Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball. Find me on Bluesky at @ReneeDechert.com.