“Very nice,” he said, giving me a wry, knowing smile and a short laugh.

Some background is definitely required here.

In 2014, Weiss was managing the Rockies on a hazy, humid September Sunday morning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Somehow, Weiss, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, and I started talking about our 1970s crushes. We mentioned, of course, Farrah Fawcett and her famous poster, Cheryl Tiegs and her poster, as well as other supermodels and Hollywood stars. I said I once had a poster of pop singer Linda Ronstadt.

Then came the bombshell.

“I had a crush on Barbara Streisand,” Thomas said. “I thought she was hot.”

Walt and I were aghast. As Walt pointed out, “Babs” had a nose like his own. No way Thomas was telling us the truth, right? To this day, insists he was.

The kicker came after the Rockies lost to the Cardinals that day. Walt pulled us aside and said, “You know, when I was going out to the mound to make a pitching change, I kept thinking about Barbra Streisand. Thanks a lot, Thomas.”

The point of my ramble down memory lane? My nearly 28-year career at The Denver Post ends Wednesday when the Rockies host the Red Sox at Coors Field. I’ve covered World Series, Super Bowls, Final Fours, Nuggets games and scores of high school state championships alongside Kyle Newman. In the end, my fondest memories are not about games, highlight reels, strategy, upsets, or scoops. My fondest memories are about people. It’s what I wrote about best.

Being a baseball beat writer is the most gratifying of any of the major sports beats, in my humble opinion. You get to know the people, from owners and managers to players and clubbies to broadcasters and fellow writers. Meanwhile, the walls between the NFL and the media grow thicker and taller with each passing year. I can’t imagine Broncos beat writers talking about their boyhood crushes with coach Sean Payton.

I was hired by The Post in October 1998, joining Adam Schefter as a Broncos No. 2 beat writer, just in time to cover John Elway’s second Super Bowl title. In the summer of 2005, I was yanked off the Broncos beat and moved to the Rockies, as the No. 2 writer behind current Post columnist Troy Renck. It was a demotion for me, no doubt.

My wife, Nancy, and I were shocked by the grind of the baseball beat, especially back in the days when The Post still traveled to cover the Rockies. We eventually embraced the lifestyle, though it wasn’t easy.

Covering a team afflicted with chronic losing wasn’t easy either. I covered the Rockies for nearly 20 years, and during that time, they had five winning seasons, made the playoffs four times, and made one magical run to the World Series in 2007.

I’ve had to rewrite more deadline game stories than I can count. The adage in the Coors Field press box: “The Rockies blew another lead. And they blew another lede.”

But, all in all, it’s been quite a wonderful ride. What follows are excerpts from some of my favorite stories I wrote for The Post. The common theme is people.

McCaffrey family legacy

When I started covering the Broncos, first for the Longmont Times-Call and then with The Post, training camp was still held at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. The players stayed in one dorm, the media in another, and we shared the same cafeteria. Access to the players was incredible. I once interviewed Elway while riding in a golf cart as the fans screamed for autographs — Elway’s, not mine.

That’s how I got to know wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and his wife, Lisa. In 1999, I profiled their family’s rich sports legacy:

When 5-year-old Max McCaffrey plays soccer, his 3-year-old brother, Christian, can’t bear to watch.

“Christian is always trying to run out on the field to be with his big brother,” his dad said. “We have to keep reeling him back in.”

Christian can’t help it. The need for speed, the energy driving his little motor, the desire to follow the bouncing ball — they’re in his genes.

His grandfather won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Uncle Billy became a legend in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt and later won a national basketball championship with the Duke Blue Devils.

When she was a pixie in South Florida, Christian’s mom scored so many goals for her high school soccer team that her mug shot ended up in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.”

Christian’s dad? All he’s done is win three Super Bowl rings, earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, develop a stiff-arm that could stop a rhinoceros, become one of the best receivers in Denver Broncos history and destroy forever the notion that white men can’t run.

Arenado’s SoCal roots

In 2016, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was a budding star. I traveled to his boyhood home of Lake Forest, in Orange County, California. While the Rockies hosted the Blue Jays at Coors Field, I sat in the living room of Fernando and Millie Arenado as they watched the game on TV. It was a remarkable day, topped off with a trip to El Toro High School, less than 10 minutes from the Arenado home. I spent an hour reminiscing with Mike Gonzalez, Arenado’s high school coach.

Here’s the beginning of my story about Arenado’s baseball roots:

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — The trim, stucco home looks like many others in this quiet, middle-class Southern California neighborhood. There is a basketball hoop out front and a beautifully tiled swimming pool in the backyard.

Step inside and you’re enveloped by warmth. Family photos cover every wall, every shelf, every nook and cranny. The family dog, a white Havanese named Mojito (“Mo” for short), hops up on the comfy couch to greet visitors.

Baseball is everywhere, too. Indeed, the home is something of an impromptu museum. Near the TV in the living room sits Nolan Arenado’s gleaming 2015 Silver Slugger Award. Open a nearby cabinet, and one of Arenado’s three Gold Glove Awards sits among a sea of memorabilia.

Likely more baseball stuff will be added after Tuesday night����ap All-Star Game in San Diego, where Arenado, the Rockies’ third baseman, will be appearing, the second year in a row he was voted in by fellow major-league players. Who knows? Perhaps an All-Star Game MVP trophy will be his newest baseball heirloom. At the very least, his All-Star Game jersey will find a place in the Arenado home.

Upstairs is the “Bonus Room,” as the family calls it. In the middle sits a pool table, now overflowing with framed photos, jerseys and signed baseballs. On the couch in front of a big-screen TV sits a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet. Back in the day, Arenado wore it while playing video games.

A day in the life of Buddy Black

I covered five managers in my time with the Rockies: Clint Hurdle, a force of nature and philosophy; Loquacious Jim Tracy, one of the nicest men I’ve ever met; Weiss, a fellow Bruce Springsteen fanatic; Bud Black, a walking baseball encyclopedia who’s beloved throughout the game; and current manager Warren Schaeffer, full of incredible passion and heart.

Of all of the Rockies’ managers, I know Black the best. We’re near the same age and share the same sense of humor. We still text frequently. In 2018, in the midst of a race for the National League West title, Black allowed me to go behind the scenes and chronicle a day in the life of a big-league manager:

It����ap the second week of September, the Rockies are chasing their first division title, and Bud Black has former Bronco Peyton Manning on his mind.

He’s trying to figure out a way to get the legendary quarterback to appear in a video that would play on the giant scoreboard at Coors Field as the Rockies make their run to a possible National League West crown.

“I want Peyton, waving his arms up and down, to get the crowd going,” Black says. “Hey, we don’t care about the snap count! We want it loud! ‘Omaha! Omaha!’ ”

Later in the afternoon, he’ll call in Julian Valentin, the director of social media, to see if there has been any progress on Project Peyton. (Valentin tells Black that it����ap being looked into).

Black’s office, down the hallway from the players’ spacious clubhouse, contains a comfy black-leather couch and a tidy desk. Photographs of Coors Field adorn the walls, including one that captures the joy of a young boy watching a game. Encased in a glass frame is the lineup and a baseball from Black’s first game as Rockies manager. It����ap dated April 3, 2017, a game in which the Rockies beat the Brewers at Milwaukee, 7-5.

Black has plenty on his to-do list, though he goes about his chores with a relaxed, easy manner. Colorado’s second-year manager, age 61, plans to watch video, meet with his coaches, chat with some players and confer with head trainer Keith Dugger. The night before, the Rockies hammered the Diamondbacks, 13-2. With nothing to stew over and no second-guesses haunting him, he got an excellent night����ap sleep. Today, he’s open to having a reporter shadow him, from arriving at the ballpark just after noon through another critical game that night vs. Arizona.

Helton gets the call

Todd Helton is the greatest player in Rockies history. He’s a complex, moody, smart and extremely funny man. His sense of humor can be cutting and takes some getting used to. Somehow, we bonded.

In January 2024, Helton invited Thomas and me to his home outside Knoxville, Tenn., to be there with his family and close friends when he got the call that he’d been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We all figured he’d get in, but there were no guarantees. It turned out to be one of the most memorable days of my career:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Todd Helton, arms folded across his chest, nervously paced the living room of his home Tuesday afternoon.

“I haven’t been superstitious for 10 years, not since I retired,” the Rockies’ iconic first baseman said. “Today, I’m superstitious. I didn’t look at anything, I didn’t watch anything, I didn’t look at the internet.”

He could have spared himself the angst.

Because, fittingly, at 5:17 p.m. Eastern time, No. 17 got the call of a lifetime. Told that he had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Helton pumped his fist and finally took a deep breath.

“It����ap the greatest honor you can get as a baseball player,” Helton said. “Getting your number retired and getting elected to the Hall of Fame are the two greatest achievements you can get.”

Still, Helton wasn’t quite ready to let it all go.

“I’m going to go (crazy) when y’all leave,” he said.

The sweet-swinging Helton, the beloved heart and soul of the Rockies for 17 seasons and one of the most accomplished players of his era, received 79.7% of the vote, clearing the 75% bar required by the Hall of Fame and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Matzek, ‘The Yips,’ and me

We’ve all got something. Mine is anxiety and depression, something I’ve dealt with for much of my adult life.

That’s why I was so interested in Tyler Matzek’s story. The former Rockies pitcher had such a bad case of the yips, brought on by performance anxiety, that it nearly ruined his baseball career. In December 2015, we met in a Southern California coffee shop and talked for nearly three hours. He was remarkably candid.

In 2021, he won a World Series as a shutdown reliever for the Braves. But before that, I wrote this story:

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. — On Sept. 5, 2014, at Coors Field, Tyler Matzek pitched a three-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres. Poised and confident, and throwing a 94 mph fastball with graceful ease, the Rockies’ rookie left-hander was dominant. Over his final six starts, Matzek went 4-2 with a 1.55 ERA. He looked like the Rockies’ ace of the future.

Yet demons lurked in the corners of Matzek’s mind, and by the time he took the mound for the Rockies’ 2015 home opener April 10, he was headed for trouble.

“Even when things were going the right way, there was this overwhelming stress inside me that just kept building and building and building,” Matzek said recently while sipping coffee at a Starbucks in Southern California. “(Then) I just couldn’t hold that stress any longer and my game collapsed.”

Matzek was suffering from performance anxiety.

It wrecked him on the mound and even began to creep into his everyday life.

“My wife, Lauren, said it was our worst time, relationship-wise, because I was so tight, so stressed, just waiting to explode from this thing,” Matzek said. “She knew it wasn’t about her, but it was hard.”

But the quiet, intelligent 25-year-old confronted his condition head-on, confident he would fulfill the promise that prompted the Rockies to make him the 11th pick in the first round of the 2009 draft. He is determined to compete for a job in the Rockies’ starting rotation in spring training.

Thanks, mom

The day after I cover my final Rockies game, Nancy and I are flying to Southern California. We’ll join my extended family to scatter the ashes of my mom, Anita, and my dad, Dusty, in Laguna Beach, their favorite vacation spot.

This is my final chance to say thanks, sharing past stories with you:

Somewhere up there, my mom is smiling.

Ryan McMahon hit a home run for the Rockies in their 4-3 win over the Giants on Thursday night. McMahon broke out of a horrendous slump.

“RyMac” was my mom’s second-favorite Rockie, right behind Todd Helton. Why? Partly because he’s Irish, mostly because I like RyMac.

She was thrilled when Helton invited me to his Knoxville, Tenn., home to witness his Hall of Fame phone call in January 2024. When my wife, Nancy, and I were invited to Helton’s party in Cooperstown last July, my mom felt like she was there.

During her last years, I watched Rockies road games with her when I could. She rarely asked why the team was winning or losing. Strategy was not her thing. She always asked, “Is so and so a good guy?”

That����ap the kind of sports fan my mom was. She knew nothing about OPS, yards after catch, 3-point percentages, or point spreads. She just liked how players played and hoped they were good people. She loved Dr. J, Nolan Arenado and Floyd Little.

In the Broncos’ infancy, when Little was their only star and the game plan was “Little off left tackle, Little off right tackle,” my mom would shout, “Don’t hurt Floyd!”

In her later years, she’d tried to stay up late enough to watch manager Bud Black’s postgame news conference, not because she wanted to hear his explanations but to hear me ask a question.

Thanks, dad

I wrote this journal a few months before my dad died in May 2022:

What do you get your dad for his 90th birthday?

I’ve been pondering that question for the past few weeks. I kept striking out.

Then, as I perused the web, I came across a cool T-shirt. Cardinals red, the shirt displays the image of Stan Musial, leaning on a baseball bat. The script simply reads: The MAN.

How many sports-related T-shirts, sweatshirts and books have I given my dad over the years? I’ve lost track. It doesn’t matter. My dad’s going to love his “Stan the Man” T-shirt.

A father and son bonding over sports is not unique, but it is different for every father and son.

Walter Patrick “Dusty” Saunders was born on Sept. 24, 1931, in Denver. He was a lonely kid. His father died when he was 9 years old, and his mom died when he was 10.

In the 1940s, my dad’s companions were the radio, books and sports. He became a St. Louis Cardinals fan because he could pick up the strong signal from KMOX radio in St. Louis. Musial was his favorite player.

In 2006, my first full year on the Rockies beat, I took my dad to St. Louis for Father’s Day to watch the Rockies play the Cardinals in the first year of the new Busch Stadium. He chatted with Clint Hurdle and Todd Helton. After the game, my dad, MLB.com Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding and I had dinner at former Cardinal Mike Shannon’s restaurant. Thomas and I still talk about that day.

Cole Carrigg’s off to a pretty solid start in his MLB career, but why was he promoted instead of Charlie Condon or Zac Veen? Was he just playing that much better than them? Is it to manage their service time in the majors? A little of both? Thanks.

— Marshall, Parker

Marshall, since you submitted your question, Carrigg has been sensational. It’s not about service time.

In the Rockies’ excruciating loss to the Cubs on Monday night, he drove in all four runs and hit an eighth-inning, three-run home run that should have stood as the game-winner.

Carrigg plays with a swagger and an edge, and in that regard, he reminds me of Troy Tulowitzki as a rookie. I asked one of Tulo’s former teammates if he shared my opinion.

“I see some,” the teammate responded. “Tulo wasn’t on the razor’s edge of out of control like Carrigg.”

Anyway, to your question, the Rockies front office sees a lot of things that fans don’t see, and that I don’t see or consider. Paul DePodesta, the president of baseball operations, recently told me that they take a hard look at “the process” a player has in the minors as a major part of their decision on when to promote a player.

Carrigg has proven that he was ready. I think promotions for Condon and Veen could very well depend on what happens as the trade deadline nears.

Patrick, I heard you’re leaving soon. It’s been a pleasure reading your coverage all these years. The Denver sports community is losing an absolute legend. What are some of the most memorable moments of your career?

— Ryan C., Aurora

Ryan, thanks for your kind comments.

Leaving The Post after nearly 28 years is a hard and emotional decision, but it was time. The buyout I was offered made me accelerate my retirement timeline. The baseball beat, particularly covering a losing Rockies team over the last few years, has been a grind. Plus, the industry is changing fast, and I’m becoming a bit of a dinosaur.

I have far too many memories to mention here in any detail, so I will list a few: Rocktober; covering all three of the Broncos’ Super Bowl title wins; watching Nolan Arenado play third base; spending time in the dugout talking baseball and music with Bud Black; being at Todd Helton’s house in Tennessee when he got the call that he was elected to the Hall of Fame; working with some incredible colleagues, especially Kyle Newman and Troy Renck; crazy, fun times in the press box with the crew; covering games at all 30 major league ballparks; having Coors Field as my office on perfect summer nights; and forming a friendship with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, with whom I’ve had a bromance for 25 years.

I’ll be writing a farewell story soon, so keep an eye out for it.

Did you expect T.J. Rumfield to be our breakout star this season? I certainly didn’t, but, boy, is it nice to have a solution at first base after so many years of failed experiments. Do you think he’ll win the Rookie of the Year award?

— Mike, Denver

Mike, I was excited about Rumfield after seeing him play in spring training and reading the reports on his skill set. As I wrote in February: “T.J. Rumfield was a big-league first baseman trapped in Triple-A limbo.”

But I have been surprised by the quality of his at-bats; he’s been hitting like a seasoned veteran. His glove work at first base has been outstanding.

However, I don’t think he’ll be named the National League’s top rookie, for a few reasons.

First, he plays in Colorado for a team with the worst record in baseball and he’s not going to get much attention from the baseball writers who vote for the award.

Second, he plays his home games at Coors Field, which will automatically disqualify him in the minds of some voters. That’s a shame, because he’s hit just as well on the road as at home. At Coors, he’s slashing .263/.353/.449 (.802 OPS), with five homers and 22 RBIs. On the road, he’s slashing .287/.359/.465 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

Third, there are several strong candidates, led by Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt, Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, and Mets right-hander Nolan McLean.

Are you surprised, disappointed, or comfortably numb by how the Rockies have performed so far this season?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Comfortably numb? You must be a Pink Floyd fan.

Anyway, I’m not sure my characterization is on your list. I would say mildly encouraged, but the state of the pitching staff is a huge concern.

Hey Patrick! Who do you think has the best shot at becoming our lone representative at the All-Star Game? I thought it was going to be Mickey Moniak before he went on IL. I feel like our best shots are Hunter Goodman, Antonio Senzatela or Tomoyuki Sugano.

— Ryan, Aurora

Ryan, the Rockies will have only one representative, and it’s going to be Goodman for the second consecutive season. As I write this, he’s slashing .255/.327/.537 (.864 OPS) with 27 RBIs.

Not only has Johnston been one of the National League’s most productive hitters, but he’s also injected fun and energy into the clubhouse. And he’s become a fan favorite.

“People (who) watch television can point directly to Troy, he’s got a big personality,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We love Troy here. We absolutely love him. He brings a lot to the table in terms of his skills — on and off the field — and does bring a (special) vibe.”

What the outfielder/first baseman is doing at the plate, especially in the clutch, is exceptional. Entering Friday night’s game against the Brewers at Coors Field, Johnston was hitting .431 (22 for 51, including seven doubles) with runners in scoring position, the second-highest average in the majors behind the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz (.475, 19 for 40).

Overall, Johnston was hitting .320 with 27 RBIs.

Colorado claimed Johnston, 28, off waivers from the Marlins in November. He was by no means a lock to make the big-league team out of spring training, especially since he still has a minor league option and could have been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

“It����ap all still just baseball,” Johnston said during spring training. “But you have to have a good, sound approach and still be athletic. And you have to have fun. So I’m doing what I can to make the team, make the adjustments I need to make, and go out and have fun.”

He’s having a ball right now. Johnston entered Friday’s game with multiple hits in a career-best four straight games. But it’s his ability to deliver baserunners to the plate that stands out most.

“With runners in scoring position, nothing should change,” Schaeffer said. “It’s all mentality. It’s all about how even-keeled you can stay. How slow is your heartbeat?

“I mean, you look at guys like (former Rockies third baseman) Nolan Arenado, or other guys who drive in a lot of runs, they stay the same guy. They don’t freak out because of the situation. They keep the same mentality — which is confidence. And Troy has a ton of it.”

Johnston, who was drafted by Miami in the 17th round of the 2019 draft out of Gonzaga, played six seasons in the minors and didn’t make his major league debut until July 29 of last season. He played in 44 games for the Marlins, slashing .277/.331/.420 with four home runs, two doubles, one triple, and 13 RBIs. With runners in scoring position, he hit .267 (8 for 30).

Johnston prides himself on his ability to handle the bat and put balls in play. He’s learned to exhale at the plate and focus on the task at hand.

“You know, I’ve been playing pro baseball for quite a while,” he said. “I don’t have that many games in the big leagues, but what I have found is that when you just try to put the ball in play, don’t press too much, and just try to make things happen, well, sometimes good things do happen.

“And sometimes it’s out of your hands. That’s all part of baseball. I try to remember that.”

Gordon to IL: Colorado’s starting rotation has taken another hit. Right-hander Tanner Gordon was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 2, with a right hip impingement.

The club recalled right-hander Zach Agnos from Triple-A Albuquerque. There is a chance that Agnos could start in Gordon’s place on Saturday against the Brewers.

Rumfield loses homer. First baseman TJ Rumfield’s home run total dropped from eight to seven on Friday when Major League Baseball made a scoring change.

In the fourth inning of the Rockies’ 8-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday night, TJ Rumfield hit a line drive to right center. Angels right fielder Jo Adell caught up to the ball, but it glanced off his glove, ricocheted off his forehead, and went over the yellow line for a home run. However, MLB ruled that Adell committed a four-base error and took the homer away from Rumfield.

Climbing the Charts

Outfielder/first baseman Troy Johnston is making his mark in his first season with the Rockies:
• .320 batting average: Ranks fifth in the majors (fourth in National League)
• .347 batting average at Coors Field: Sixth-highest home average in the majors.
• .431 batting average with RISP: Second-highest average in the majors.
• 17 doubles: Tied for fifth in the majors (fourth in NL)

Note: Through games of June 4
Source: Colorado Rockies

Sitting in the dugout at Coors Field, the 35-year-old pitcher asked why, after all of his fame and success in his native Japan, he was pitching in the majors, 5,800 miles from home.

“I was in the latter part of my career in Japan, and I just didn’t want to have any regrets, looking back at my career,” he said, using Yuto Sakurai as his interpreter. “It was one of the things I wanted to accomplish.”

American baseball fans might know the basics about the man dubbed “Tommy Sugar.” For instance, he won two back-to-back Sawamura Awards in 2017-18, equivalent of the Cy Young Award.

In the World Baseball Classic in 2017, he was Japan’s ace. In the Sugano dominated Team USA, pitching six innings and allowing just one unearned run on three hits. Although Japan lost, 2-1, he struck out six — fanning Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado three times and Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Adam Jones once each.

Rockies fans have seen Sugano, who signed a one-year, $5.1 million contract, become the club’s most consistent starting pitcher. After tossing 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball in Colorado’s 3-2 win at Arizona on Friday night, he’s 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA over 10 starts.

In 2025, Sugano went 10-10 with a 4.64 ERA in 30 starts with Baltimore after signing a one-year, $13 million deal.

But his short stint in America doesn’t begin to paint a picture of how big a star the right-hander was for 12 seasons with the Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants.

“He was the best pitcher in Japan for a decade,” said Ryan Spilborghs, currently a Rockies TV analyst, who played seven seasons with the Rockies and spent the 2013 season with the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Japanese Pacific League.

“It’s the equivalent of someone like Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, or Justin Verlander going to Japan after their elite run in the majors,” Spilborghs added.

But Sugano wasn’t just an ace in baseball-crazy Japan; he was baseball royalty.

He was 5 years old when he sat among the sold-out crowd at the Tokyo Dome to watch his uncle, in October 1995. Hara, a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, was one of the elite power hitters of the 1980s. In his final game, Hara blasted his 382nd and final home run.

Hara played 15 seasons for Yomiuri from 1981-95, and won three Japan Series titles (1981, 1989, and 94).

Following his playing career, Hara became the Yomiuri Giants’ manager and managed his nephew in two separate stints (2014-15 and 2019-23). And Sugano’s baseball bloodlines run ever deeper. His grandfather, Mitsugu Hara, was a standout high school and college coach, and Sugano’s father, Takashi Sugano, pitched in college.

“Tatsunori, Tomoyuki’s uncle, was like the crown prince of baseball in Japan,” said Margaret Narumi, a television producer who worked out of Los Angeles-based NHK Cosmomedia America for 29 years, bringing Major League Baseball games to Japan.

“Not only was Tatsunori a super, superstar in Japan, but he was really good looking,” Narumi added. “So all of the girls were following him like crazy.”

When Sugano was 19, there were sky-high projections for him to become a great player. In 2009, when Tatsunori was managing Japan in the World Baseball Classic, he told Narumi, “My (nephew) is being groomed to play baseball. He is going to be really great.”

Along with expectations came scrutiny.

“Of course, Sugano, being the nephew, got a lot of pressure,” Narumi said. “The expectations were much, much higher than for any regular player. But he surpassed all of those expectations.”

After some initial media frenzy during spring training with the Orioles last year, the scrutiny died down. Media attention is even less with the Rockies, although there are usually a handful of reporters from opposing teams surrounding Sugano’s locker after he pitches.

“It’s a different type of pressure than I felt back in Japan vs. here,” Sugano said. “I was expected to win and pitch very well, every game. But over here, I’m feeling more like a rookie. I was a rookie last year, so there’s not as much pressure.”

Sugano comes across a pleasant, quiet man. That was his reputation in Japan, too.

Nobi Kuga, who used to work for the Yomiuri Giants as their North American liaison and coordinator, is a close friend of Sugano’s uncle and Sugano’s parents. Kuga also helps arrange Sugano’s accommodations in Honolulu, where Sugano trains during the offseason.

“He’s a very down-to-earth guy,” Kuga said. “He’s very quiet, but he’ll open up to his close friends. In Baltimore, he was very quiet, but he’s happy to be in the majors. In Baltimore, I’m told that all of his teammates liked him.”

When Sugano pitched through illness to notch his 150th win on May 16, the Rockies held an impromptu postgame celebration in the clubhouse at Coors Field.

Sugano said he was “thrilled” that his new teammates recognized his milestone, but he was also characteristically modest about it.

“I’m obviously happy about it, but it����ap just another win, so I want to look forward to the 151st win,” he said.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer praised Sugano for his businesslike approach to the game.

“He’s just the ultimate professional — on a daily basis,” Schaeffer said. “You can just tell he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. We celebrated the 150th in there today, and I’m very, very happy for him. It����ap a great milestone, well deserved.”

Rockies veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who notched the save to secure Sugano’s win, was awed by No. 150.

“That’s really big,” Senzatela said. “He’s one of the best pitchers over there in Japan, and he’s performing really well here in Coors. He’s a nice human being, a nice person. I love him, and I’m so happy for him.”

Sugano’s one big regret is that he never led the Giants to a Japan Series title, not even in 2020 when he posted a minuscule 1.97 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. But he’s proud of the legacy he left behind in Japan.

“The No. 1 honorable thing I could say about (my career highlights) is playing for the Yomiuri Giants,” Sugano said. “I have a lot of history there, for 12 years, and the teammates and the coaching staff that I met throughout the process is probably my No. 1 thing I’m most proud of.”

Sugano’s Star Power

During his 12 seasons with the Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, Tomoyuki Sugano was one of the best starting pitchers in Japan. A closer look:
• Two Sawamura Awards, NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young (Sugano won back-to-back in 2017 and ’18)
• Two league MVP awards in NPB’s Central League (2014 and 2020)
• Eight All-Star seasons
• A pitching Triple Crown (2018)
• Four league ERA titles
• Two league strikeout titles (including a career-high 200 K’s in 2018)
Source: MLB.com

They suffered through another on Thursday night with a 2-1 walk-off loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Corbin Carroll slapped a two-out single through the right side to score Gabriel Moreno for the game-winner.

The loss came one day after Colorado lost 5-4 to Texas.

Colorado’s demise on Thursday began ominously when reliever Juan Mejia walked Moreno to open the frame. Mejia also walked Ketel Marte to move Moreno into scoring position. All told, Colorado pitchers issued eight free passes.

The Rockies, who were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, wasted a brilliant start from usual mid-game reliever Zach Agnos. Making his first start since high school, Agnos pitched five shutout innings, giving up one hit, striking out four and walking just one.

Key moments: Agnos, making his first big-league start, was stressed only once. In the third inning, he issued a one-out walk to Adrian Del Castillo and a two-out single to Marte, but he induced the dangerous Corbin Carroll to fly out to center to end the inning.

As has been the case much of the season, Colorado failed to get a clutch hit in a key moment. With two on in the sixth, Hunter Goodman grounded into an inning-ending double play. In the eighth, the Rockies loaded the bases and scored their only run when D-backs right-hander Juan Morillo plunked Tyler Freeman with the bases loaded. But Goodman fouled out, and Ezequiel Tovar grounded out to third baseman Nolan Arenado, killing the rally.

Who’s hot: It’s a one-man list, but Troy Johnston went 1 for 3 and boosted his average to .324.

Who’s not: Goodman, who, despite hitting 11 home runs, is batting just .236 after going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. The catcher’s K rate is 36%, and he’s hitting .230 with runners in scoring position.

Worth noting: Colorado made several roster moves ahead of Thursday night’s game. Notably, it called up infielder Chad Stevens from Triple-A Albuquerque, and he started at second base.

The Rockies also recalled Blas Castaño from Triple-A and placed center fielder Brenton Doyle on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 20. He has a left oblique contusion, an injury he sustained trying to make a diving catch against the Rangers on Tuesday. He left the game after one inning.

Colorado also optioned lefty Sammy Peralta to Triple-A and designated lefty Carson Palmquist for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Stevens.

Stevens, 27, was impressive at Triple-A this season and was riding a minor league on-base streak of 49 games dating back to last season when he finished the season with Triple-A Salt Lake. His streak included 39 games this season with Albuquerque, an Isotopes record.

Pitching probables

Friday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 4.02 ERA)at Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (6-2, 3.49), 7:40 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 7.03) at Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.78), 8:10 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (2-2, 4.08) at Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-3, 5.19), 2:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Cue the Law & Order sound effects.

This is their story: Rockies veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who has struggled mightily since coming back from the injured list on April 28, gave up six runs on five hits in the first inning. The Diamondbacks had some bloop hits in the inning, but Freeland also walked two batters and threw 42 pitches.

Meanwhile, Diamondbacks 37-year-old right-hander Merrill Kelly toyed with the Rockies en route to a rare complete game. It was the first complete game of his long career, and he became the first Diamondbacks pitcher to spin a CG since Zac Gallen did it Sept. 8, 2023, against the Cubs in Chicago.

“Kelly had a lot of early, soft-contact outs,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He had a cutter-changeup combination that he (uses) here often. … We had some over-aggressiveness against pitches you don’t necessarily want to offer at early.

“Hats off to Kelly. He lived on the edges, like he does. He knows how to pitch, and we fell into (his) trap.”

Freeland’s night was over after 3 2/3 innings. The lefty gave up seven earned runs on eight hits with four walks, including three walks to former Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado. Freeland snapped his streak of 70 consecutive starts with three walks or fewer, the longest streak in franchise history.  Freeland is 1-5 with a 7.22 ERA in seven starts this season.

“The first six hits were all low-exit-velo hits … but we get them all of the time on this side, too,” Freeland said. “It’s just unfortunate that they compiled and they were able to put their foot on the pedal and score six in the first and pretty much put us away.”

Schaeffer praised Freeland for pitching into the fourth inning and saving Colorado’s bullpen, at least a little bit.

“If that happens to Kyle, he wants to go out and do all he can do for the team,” Schaeffer said. “Which, I felt like he did (tonight). He gave all he had, 100%.”

Still, Freeland’s slump is troubling. Since returning from the shoulder injury that landed him on the IL, Freeland is 0-4 with an 11.50 ERA in four starts. However, both Freeland and manager Warren Schaeffer said there is no injury issue.

“I feel fine, physically, going out there,” Freeland said. “I know that my velo dipped after the first inning, I don’t know why. But physically, I feel fine.”

Added Schaeffer: “I think he’s OK, physically. I just think he’s going through a little rough stretch here. I don’t think there is anything wrong with his arm.”

Meanwhile, Lelly toyed with the Rockies. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out two. He threw 100 pitches and let out a victory shout as he walked off the mound in the ninth.

The Rockies, who slid to 7-11 at Coors Field after losing there for the seventh time in eight games at home, simply never figured out Kelly, who entered the night 2-3 with a 7.62 ERA.

Hunter Goodman blasted a two-out solo homer to left off Kelly in the first inning (his 11th), but Colorado barely laid a glove on Kelly after that. Kyle Karros hit a one-out single to center in the third, Ezequiel Tovar lined a two-out double to right-center in the fifth, and Mickey Moniak had a double in the ninth.

Outfielder Sterlin Thompson, called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, made his big-league debut in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. He grounded out to first base on Kelly’s first-pitch curveball.

Pitching probables

Saturday: Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 2.25 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (3-3, 4.07), 1:10 p.m.
Sunday: Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (5-2, 3.53) at Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-5, 6.55), 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

There were hugs all around from those Rockies who knew Weiss back in the day.

And jokes about his newfound internet fame.

“You don’t mess with Walt, as everybody has seen now,” Rockies longtime trainer Keith Dugger said with a laugh.

The thing is, the 62-year-old Weiss never expected to go viral. But there he was, sparking memes, inspiring T-shirts, “Come put on the pads, Skip.”

In case you missed it (how could you?), that broke out between the Braves and the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on April 8.

As fists started to fly between Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler, Weiss sprinted from the dugout, flipped off his hat, and tackled the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Soler.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Weiss, who still lives in Parker during the offseason, is a soft-spoken gentleman. But just beneath the surface flows white-hot competitive intensity. Sporting biceps like Schwarzenegger’s, Weiss goes to the gym nearly every day. He’s a martial artist with a black belt in taekwondo and has training in MMA, including jiu-jitsu.

Soler was the 2021 World Series MVP for the Braves when Weiss was the bench coach. But that didn’t matter in the heat of the moment.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” that night. “But that����ap a big man, and so I just felt I’ve gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”

Weiss is way past all of that now, but the moment inspired the Braves.

“We could not get enough of it,” said Braves reliever Tyler Kinley, who pitched for Colorado from 2020 through part of 2025 before he was traded to Atlanta. “Guys rally around different things throughout the year, and that, for us, was huge. Guys already knew that Walt was tough and a bad dude.

“I mean, everyone knows that Soler is a big dude, and he’s not a gentle giant. To see Walt zone in on Soler, find him, and then take him down and end the whole scrum was amazing. Guys were already ready to run through a brick wall for Walt.”

An evolution from player to skipper

Weiss’ baseball card is impressive. He played 14 years in the majors and was the American League rookie of the year in 1988 with the Oakland A’s, with whom he won three pennants and the 1989 World Series. He played shortstop for the Rockies from 1994-97. He was an All-Star with the Braves in 1998 at age 34.

After retiring as a player in 2000, Weiss served as a special assistant and instructor with the Rockies from 2002 to 2008. He managed the Rockies for four seasons (2013-16) and was Atlanta’s bench coach for eight years before replacing Brian Snitker as manager.

Former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd hired Weiss to replace Jim Tracy after the Rockies’ 98-loss season in 2012. The Rockies went 283-365 under Weiss, and while owner Dick Monfort wanted him to continue after the 2016 season, Weiss resigned because of his strained relationship with Jeff Bridich, the GM who replaced O’Dowd.

The Rockies improved to 75-87 under Weiss in 2016, and many of the building blocks were in place for the 2017-18 Rockies teams that made the playoffs under Bud Black, most notably an infield that included third baseman Nolan Arenado, shortstop Trevor Story, and second baseman DJ LeMahieu, as well as All-Star outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez.

“The circumstances are worlds apart,” Weiss said Friday when asked what he learned managing the Rockies. “The first time I did this, back here, I had been out of the game for four years, which is an eternity in this league. I mean, I was coaching high school football (at Regis Jesuit) when I interviewed for that job.

“I had a lot to learn, had to learn on the fly. But I had a good staff around me that helped me through those early years.”

Weiss has evolved a lot since then.

“I saw the game probably more through a player’s eyes back then, because that’s what I leaned on,” he said. “In some ways, that’s good. In some ways, probably not so good.

“I was the bench coach (with the Braves) for eight years, so I know this team very well. The trust has been established. But this is a very different scenario. This is a team that’s built to win, right now. I’m certainly more comfortable in my own skin, in this role, right now.”

The Braves beat the Rockies 8-6 in comeback fashion on Friday night and entered Saturday’s game at Coors with a big-league-best 23-10 record and were 9-0-1 in series this season.

A hard-nosed ‘father figure’

Weiss steered his club through some early-season turbulence.

During spring training, the Braves lost right-hand Spencer Strider to an oblique strain. He’s scheduled to make his season debut on Sunday against the Rockies.  Starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep went down with elbow injuries and have yet to return.

Catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined with a hip labral tear, and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim tore his finger tendon. Both players are expected to return in the next few weeks. But outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for the second time for PEDs and is done for the season.

“Walt is very consistent with what he does, and he puts a good, positive outlook on everything for everybody,” said Atlanta utility infielder Kyle Farmer, who played for the Rockies last season. “He’s a very good communicator and checks in on guys all the time.

“For a bench guy like myself, he lets me know what’s going on. Our roster is loaded with talent, but for a guy like me who doesn’t play every day, he’s been very considerate and approachable.”

Utility player Mauricio Dubon, who hit a three-run triple in the eighth inning against Colorado on Friday, called Weiss a “father figure.”

“Walt’s ability to relate to guys and speak the players’ language is unique,” Kinley said. “He shows up every day and is diligent about what he does. He has an intention for everything he does. He understands it’s not an easy game, and he knows how to communicate with guys. He’s amazing at that.

“And Walt walks the walk. He’s in there, busting his butt with us in the weight room. He’s intense,  and guys feed off that.”

As a player, Weiss was hard-nosed, so he expects the same from those who play for him. He also expects them to be on time, work hard, and hustle — all of the time. Arenado found out about that when he played for Weiss.

In July 2014, Arenado was benched after jogging to first base on a groundout against the Pirates at Coors Field. Arenado had failed to hustle up the first-base line several times in the minors, and Weiss wasn’t about to accept that in the majors.

“You don’t know how a player is going to take that, especially someone as good as Nolan,” Weiss told The Denver Post in 2019. “It can go either way. Managers and catchers almost always show up to the ballpark earlier than the players, but the next day, there’s Nolan, waiting in my office. I really didn’t know how that was going to go. Was he mad because he thought I had embarrassed him?”

“But then Nolan actually thanked me for benching him. Imagine that? He was there early to tell me how much he appreciated me pulling him out of the game.”

When Arenado was feuding with Bridich near the end of his career in Colorado, one of the people he sought counsel from was Weiss, who has a sterling reputation throughout the game.

“One of the finest men I’ve ever known in baseball,” Dugger said. “One of my favorite people — ever.”

Vinny Castilla, a member of the famed Blake Street Bombers and a Rockies special assistant for the past 21 years, has known Weiss for 32 years. During Weiss’s first managerial stint, Castilla saw signs pointing to success if Weiss ever got another gig.

“He’s a players’ manager, and he’s going to do whatever he can to protect them,” Castilla said. “He’s a very nice man, and I love him, and I miss him. But he’s a black belt, so don’t mess with him.”

The club’s No. 2 prospect is having a splendid spring. The 23-year-old entered the weekend slashing .414/.471/.828 (1.299 OPS) with three home runs and three doubles in 15 games. His K-rate was just 17.6% (six strikeouts in 34 plate appearances).

But that doesn’t mean Condon has kicked down the big-league door to the majors. Not yet. The first baseman is unlikely to break camp with the Rockies because the club wants to ensure he has a solid foundation across all areas of his game.

Still, I would not be surprised if Condon is playing in the majors before the All-Star break. But if they wait until August and he stays with the team for the rest of the season, the club doesn’t waste one of his minor league options.

Regardless, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft isn’t shy about his aspirations for 2026.

“I think about that a lot,” Condon said early in spring training when I asked him about debuting this season. “But it����ap not what I’m worried about, it����ap not what I’m playing for. I’m trying to play the best baseball I can.”

The Rockies want to see several things from Condon this spring, especially his ability to consistently hit major league fastballs. So far, at least, he’s passed that test.

The club is also testing Condon’s skills as an outfielder. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is a terrific athlete, but he’s still a work in progress as a corner outfielder. Keep in mind that rookie T.J. Rumfield, acquired from the Yankees in a trade, looks like he’s played his way into a starting position at first base.

Rumfield, 25, entered the weekend hitting .367 with a team-high four home runs. And keep in mind that Rumfield has played 430 games in the minors. Condon, slowed by injuries in each of his two professional seasons, has played in just 124, including 22 in the Arizona Fall League.

The Rockies front office — like many front offices, past and present — is hesitant to throw a player into the fire too soon. The road to hell is paved with rushed prospects.

That’s because baseball is filled with false springs. Young hitters blossom when they face big-league pitchers who are still working on their changeup or saving their gas for the regular season. Prospects rake against minor league pitchers who leave sliders hovering over the heart of the plate.

But, often, promoted prospects fade under the majors’ harsh spotlight. Jackson Holliday, the oldest son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday, is a prime example. In April 2024, Jackson made his debut at the tender age of 20, but spent just 16 days with the Orioles before being shipped down to Triple-A Norfolk. Jackson hit 2-for-34 (.059) over his first 10 games for Baltimore.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rules of baseball promotion.

In spring training 2013, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado’s glove work was already golden. He hit .278 with four home runs in 19 Cactus League games, and many thought he should have made the team. He didn’t.

But Arenado couldn’t be kept down for long. He debuted on April 28 at age 22 and 12 days. He ended up hitting .267 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs in 133 games. Plus, he won the first of his 10 Gold Gloves.

And there is precedent for a terrific spring training translating into a direct ticket to the show: Trevor Story.

In 2016, the 23-year-old shortstop blasted his way onto the Rockies’ major league roster by slashing .340/.407/.792 (1.199 OPS) with six home runs, four doubles, and a triple in 20 Cactus League games.

He didn’t slow down. In April, Story crushed 10 home runs, six of which were 425 feet or longer. He was named National League rookie of the month after rapping out 17 extra-base hits. The only other players in modern history (since 1901) with as many extra-base hits during the month in which they made their major-league debut were Joe DiMaggio, then 23, with the Yankees in May 1936, and Albert Pujols, then 21, with St. Louis in April 2001.

Story’s 12 home runs in his first 40 games were the most in big-league history. Before a left thumb injury ended his season at the end of July, Story hit .272 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs in 97 games.

I’m not predicting that Condon is the next Arenado or the next Story. Arenado played 432 games in the minors before his debut; Story played 537.

But Condon has similar star potential, and remember, he was a great player at the University of Georgia. That’s a big deal.

I’m eager to watch him rake at Coors Field. If we don’t see that until June, July, or even August, I’m fine with that.

It will be up to Condon to prove there’s nothing false about his spring. I’m confident that’s going to happen.

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

This is the first time in a long time that I feel good about the future of our team. What do you think is the most optimistic yet realistic expectation we should have? I feel like 70 wins is the ceiling, and a couple of our prospects emerge with solid seasons, like Zac Veen and Chase Dollander. What do you think?

— Marshall, Parker

Marshall, your optimism is refreshing. I do feel like there was a new energy at spring training, and the players have bought into the Rockies’ new direction under Paul Depodesta, the president of baseball operations, and manager Warren Schaeffer.

To reach 70 wins, the Rockies would have to improve by 27 games from their 43-119 record. That would be a quantum leap, and I don’t see it happening. You have to remember that Colorado was outscored by 424 runs last season.

The infamous Chicago White Sox went from 41-214 in 2024 to 60-102 in ’25. If the Rockies lose only 102 games this season, that would be progress.

Renck: What’s new with Rockies pitching staff? Chase Dollander will show you

I think Dollander will improve markedly this season, though he's not a lock to break camp as a member of the starting rotation. I don't believe that Zac Veen will make the 26-man roster out of camp, and I don't know if he'll make a big-league impact this season.

The three young players I'm most intrigued by are third baseman Kyle Karros, first baseman TJ Rumfield, and utility player Ryan Ritter.

And, of course, the Rockies need comeback seasons from shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle, whom I wrote about on Sunday.

Rockies’ rebuild in 2026 depends on Gold Glove performances by Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle

Great spring training reports and insight into 2026. I was looking over the Rockies' players who made the World Baseball Classic rosters. The only one of note was Ezequiel Tovar playing for Venezuela. Tovar is one of the best-performing Rockies so far. I am not sure who to come to the ballpark to really get a glimpse of stardom (from the home team, of course), who do you see being worthy to pay to see, and who might emerge at this year's Troy Tulowitzki or Nolan Arenado?

— Robert Emmerling, Limon

Thanks for the compliment, Robert; it's appreciated.

I don't see anyone bursting on the scene as Arenado did in 2013 when he won a Gold Glove as a rookie, or as Story did in 2016 when he mashed 27 home runs and hit .273 in 97 games. Story likely would have been the rookie of the year if he hadn't torn ligaments in his left thumb and missed the rest of the season.

But, to answer your question, I'll go with third baseman Kyle Karros. He's capable of Arenado-like plays, and I think he's going to become a force at the plate, too.

I'm kind of blown away that the oldest hitter on the Rockies' roster is 28. That has to be a record for the youngest offense. They know Kris Bryant is not going to be there. It appears to be a poor decision by the GM and the manager not to have a veteran professional hitter mentoring these kids. No team does this. Why didn't they pick up a Randal Grichuk or Justin Turner, Tommy Pham, or Rhys Hoskins, all still available? The Rockies just keep doing things nobody else in MLB does. Why?

— Harvey, Denver

I totally disagree with you, Harvey. The Rockies brought in Willi Castro, 28, to be a veteran catalyst on the team. Given the team's payroll constraints right now (they owe Bryant $27 million this season) and with a labor war looming, it wouldn't have made sense to spend money on an over-the-hill veteran hitter. The Rockies need their young players to play.

I think you're going to see growth from players such as Jordan Beck, Kyle Karros, and TJ Rumfield. Where the Rockies desperately needed some veteran stability was in their starting rotation. They addressed that issue by signing Tomoyuki Sugano, Jose Quintana, and Michael Lorenzen.

Can Rockies fix swing-and-whiff offense from disastrous 2025? New hitting coach keeps it simple

Has covering the Rockies gone from one of the worst beat jobs to one of the most interesting? They've gone from unwilling to change (and change from being horrible) to willing to try anything new with a cutting-edge coaching staff and upper management that went from never doing or saying anything to Moneyball 2.0 at altitude, where moves are frequently made and always explained in depth by Paul Depodesta. It also seems like a much more interesting mix of players this spring than in the past five years. Are you enjoying the switch as a reporter as much as I'm enjoying it as a fan?

— Isaac Bowen, Fort Collins

Holy cow, Isaac! Hold your horses!  I love your enthusiasm and optimism, but I've become much too cynical to jump on your bandwagon (wow, I used three cliches in three sentences).

I will say this: things will be more interesting. I'm thankful for that, and it should be fun to watch this team improve. But it's not one of the most interesting beats in baseball. Covering a team in the thick of the race in August and September is what I hope for before I retire.

This was no daydreaming. Vank, a promising right-hander who is the No. 1 starter for Northeastern Junior College, is playing for the Czech Republic in the He is one of only a handful of college players to make a 2026 WBC roster.

Japan is in pool for the tournament, setting up the possibility of Vank facing off against Dodgers superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani when the two teams play on March 10 at the Tokyo Dome.

“It’s every kid’s dream to face Ohtani,” said Vank, who will pitch out of the bullpen for the Czech Republic. “I’ve visualized facing Ohtani a couple times already. How I might start him off, and what I might throw in certain counts.

“I’ll take the showdown with respect, but I also don’t want to give him too much respect — I want to believe in myself that I can do the job and put him away.”

The appearance in the WBC for , the Region IX Pitcher of the Year last year for the Plainsmen, is a culmination of a lifetime of work in the game despite growing up in a soccer- and hockey-dominated country where baseball is very low on the list of sporting priorities.

Vank started playing for Czech Republic’s youth national team at 12, and by age 16, he was pitching in the country’s highest league, the Czech Baseball Extraliga. As a teenager competing against adult men, he won the award for the league’s top junior player.

His journey on the diamond took him all around Europe and the world, including to Taiwan, Italy, Nederland, Germany, Spain and Japan already. Vank also went to London for an MLB Development Camp, North Carolina where he played his junior season of high school, and Phoenix for a showcase before arriving on Colorado’s eastern plains.

The 6-foot-1 right-hander from Prague has a low-90s fastball, a slider and a curveball and also recently added a changeup. Before he got to Northeastern, he was primarily a fastball/slider pitcher. But the expansion of his arsenal, and a strong first season in Sterling, put him on the radar of Division I recruiters.

“In the last 18 months, him fully developing into a four-pitch repertoire type of guy is opening up opportunities for him, whether it’s Division I or professionally, to now have more options and be either a starter, a reliever or a closer,” Northeastern head coach said.

Kachel said Vank’s signature moment so far with the Plainsmen came in the regular season finale last season, when Vank baffled Western Nebraska Community College with eight innings of shutout ball, scattering three hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.

Vank’s catcher, Northeastern Junior College sophomore Brayden Stufft, says the sacrifices the pitcher is making to come play ball thousands of miles from home — leaving behind family and friends in the process — is apparent. So, too, is Vank’s “energy and aura.”

“At the beginning of last season, he was super quiet, and you could tell he was here for business,” said. “He was here to dominate and make his family back home proud. He has. Many of his starts have been electric.

“And for him to play in the WBC, it brings a lot of attention to us as a program. We’re striving as a team to win a (region) title and go to a district and eventually go to the JuCo World Series. That’s our goals, and seeing our ace on the world stage gives us confidence as a team that we belong.”

Vank’s mother, Marie Vanková, says that while growing up, her son earned the nickname “srdcař” from his teammates. The rough English translation of that is someone who does something with immense passion, because Vank was always determined to become one of the top baseball players in his country.

“He’s had times growing up when he was not as successful as he wanted, and he wasn’t on the path to (where he is now),” Vanková said. “So he stopped speaking about it and went to work really hard. Before school, he would wake up at 5 in the morning and go to the gym. He’s always given this game everything he has.”

As the WBC begins on Wednesday ahead of the Czech Republic’s first game on Thursday against Korea, back in Sterling, Vank’s Plainsmen will be pulling hard for “srdcař”.

“We’re going to be eyes-locked on the TV — we’ll put the game on in the clubby, or we’ll just put it on a projector somewhere,” Stufft said. “We will be watching and supporting him from afar, with probably tons of phones out (to record) when he gets on the mound.

“And no matter what happens (against Japan), we’ve all been joking with him to get an Ohtani signature to bring us back as a souvenir.”

Players with Colorado ties in the 2026 WBC

Local names to watch for in the that culminates with the championship on March 17 in Miami.

Rockies players/prospects

LHP Brennan Bernardino (Mexico)
INF Cole Carrigg (Israel)
UTL Willi Castro (Puerto Rico)
LHP Antoine Jean (Canada)
OF Troy Johnston (Israel)
2B Edouard Julien (Canada)
RHP Michael Lorenzen (Italy)
RHP Juan Mejia (Dominican Republic)
LHP Jose Quintana (Columbia)
RHP Antonio Senzatela (Venezuela)
RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (Japan)
SS Ezequiel Tovar (Venezuela)
RHP Victor Vodnik (Mexico)

Ex-Rockies, locals

Puerto Rico 3B Nolan Arenado (ex-Rockies)
Dominican Republic RHP Carlos Estévez (ex-Rockies)
Puerto Rico RHP Rico Garcia (ex-Rockies)
USA RHP Griffin Jax (Cherry Creek, Air Force)
USA RHP Paul Skenes (Air Force)
Venezuela RHP Anthony Molina (ex-Rockies)
Italy RHP Adam Ottavino (ex-Rockies)
Nederlands OF Jurickson Profar (ex Rockies)
Canada RHP Cal Quantrill (ex-Rockies)
Czech Republic RHP Ondrej Vank (Northeastern Junior College)
Czech Republic UTL Terrin Vavra (ex-Rockies prospect)

Coaches of note

Mexico bench coach Vinny Castilla (ex-Rockies, current special assistant)
USA hitting coach Matt Holliday (ex-Rockies)
Israel bullpen coach Jason Marquis (ex-Rockies)
Canada hitting coach Justin Morneau (ex-Rockies)
Venezuela first base coach Gerardo Parra (ex-Rockies)
Great Britain third base coach Jeff Salazar (ex-Rockies player/hitting coach)