A couple of years ago, when the Rockies committed to building a championship-caliber team with players coming up through the farm system, the ball was thrown into the court of the scouting and player development departments.
The results indicate that Bill Schmidt’s scouts and Bill Geivett’s and Marc Gustafson’s player developers have fit together hand in glove. With a key contribution from homegrown players in last year’s run to the World Series, the scouting-player development combination has met the challenges of what is called baseball’s inexact science.
Pitchers Jeff Francis, Ryan Speier, Manuel Corpas, Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales and position players Troy Tulowitzki, Garrett Atkins, Jeff Baker, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Spilborghs, Cory Sullivan, Seth Smith and Chris Iannetta all were products of the Schmidt-Geivett-Gustafson plan. All but Speier, Corpas, Jimenez and Morales joined the Rockies through the June amateur draft. Left-fielder Matt Holliday and first baseman Todd Helton also are homegrown players, but from an earlier era.
A new cycle began last week when Schmidt’s scouting department picked left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich out of Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the amateur draft.
Schmidt’s scouts start the procedure, but the Rockies’ vice president of scouting insists the success is due to a chain reaction.
“There’s a trust factor among all of us,” Schmidt said. “When we sign a player, we know player development is going to do the right thing in getting the most out of each player. Not all organizations have the relationship between departments that we have here.”
Geivett and Gustafson note there isn’t any finger-pointing if a player doesn’t live up to expectations.
The stockpile of homegrown talent has continued this season, with the likes of infielders Ian Stewart and Jonathan Herrera and pitcher Josh Newman getting the call.
Schmidt took over the Rockies’ scouting department in 2000, and the results of his first-round picks show that his choices have done well.
Four of his first-round selections — Francis, Tulowitzki, pitcher Greg Reynolds and Stewart — already are on the Rockies’ roster. The Arizona Diamondbacks, leaders of the National League West, also have four of their first-round picks since 2000 — infielders Conor Jackson and Stephen Drew, outfielder Justin Upton and pitcher Max Scherzer — on the major-league roster.
Schmidt has two other first-round picks playing in the organization. Infielder Chris Nelson, taken in 2004, is on the disabled list after starting the season at Double-A Tulsa. Pitcher Casey Weathers, taken last year, is on the Tulsa staff.
“We look at the strengths of the system and the needs,” Schmidt said of his drafting scheme. “We strive to get the best player available, especially in the early rounds.”
In 2005, Schmidt went into the draft with Tulowitzki earmarked as the choice if he was available. He was on the board for the seventh pick in the first round.
“With 30 clubs picking in the draft, you have to be flexible,” Schmidt said. “If a player you really want is taken, you just move on.”
Schmidt figures he drives in excess of 50,000 miles a year and spends 200 days away from home in search of players. His area scouts travel even more miles each year.
“In many cases, you’re looking at a 17- or 18-year-old player and trying to determine what he’s going to be at 23,” Schmidt said. “There’s a lot of time and effort involved. It has become almost a 12-month project.”
Schmidt’s attention doesn’t end with the draft.
“I follow the progress of our draft picks,” Schmidt said. “In our system, we like to work on skill and technique issues at the Single-A level and below. We want any issues cleared up when players move to Double-A and Triple-A.”
Organizational leaders
(Through Thursday)
HITTING: (45 games) Matt Miller, Tulsa, .341; Darin Holcomb, Asheville, .330.
RUNS: Brian Rike, Asheville, 45; Everth Cabrera, Asheville, 44.
HITS: Holcomb, Asheville, 76; Miller, Tulsa, 70.
DOUBLES: Joe Koshansky, Colorado Springs, 23; Holcomb, Asheville, 23.
TRIPLES: Dexter Fowler, Tulsa, 4; Sean Barker, Colorado Springs, 3; Victor Ferrante, Modesto, 3; Michael Mitchell, Asheville, 3; Cabrera, Asheville, 3.
HOME RUNS: Koshansky, Colorado Springs, 13; Rike, Asheville, 12; Jeffrey Cunningham, Asheville, 11.
RBIs: Koshansky, Colorado Springs, 57; Cunningham, Asheville, 52.
STOLEN BASES: Cabrera, Asheville, 41; Corey Wimberly, Tulsa, 25.
PITCHING VICTORIES: Jhoulys Chacin, Asheville, 9; Sheng-An Kuo, Asheville, 7; Cory Riordan, Asheville, 6.
LOSSES: Simon Ferrer, Modesto, 8; Keith Weiser, Modesto, 7.
SAVES: Randall Taylor, Asheville, 21; Andrew Johnston, Modesto, 12.
INNINGS: Chacin, Asheville, 83.0; Riordan, Asheville, 76.0.
WALKS: John Koronka, Colorado Springs, 34; Ferrer, Modesto, 34; Shane Lindsay, Modesto, 34.
STRIKEOUTS: Riordan, Asheville, 75; Chacin, Asheville, 74.
ERA: (starters) Chacin, Asheville, 1.84; Aneury Rodriguez, Modesto, 2.54; (relievers) Johnston, Modesto, 0.00; Josh Newman, Colorado Springs, 1.46.
