Rockies announce GM Bill Schmidt stepping down after one of worst seasons in MLB history

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies announced Wednesday that general manager Bill Schmidt stepped down after one of the worst seasons in baseball history.

A search is underway for his replacement.

Schmidt has been with the organization since 1999, including the last four seasons as general manager. The Rockies turned in their third straight 100-loss season as they missed the postseason for a seventh year in a row.

The Rockies finished 43-119, narrowly avoiding the distinction of being worst team since baseball adopted a 162-game schedule in 1961. The mark still belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121).

“We are setting our sights on finding the right leader from outside our organization who can bring a fresh perspective to the Rockies and enhance our baseball operations with a new vision, innovation, and a focus on both short and long-term success,” Walker Monfort, the team’s executive vice president and the son owner Dick Monfort, said in a statement. “This change delivers an opportunity to shape the future of our club and move forward into a new era of Rockies baseball.”

Schmidt originally joined the Rockies on Oct. 1, 1999, as the director of scouting. He steadily has worked his way up the ranks until being hired as the fourth GM in team history in 2021.

“After a number of conversations, we decided it is time for me to step aside and make way for a new voice to guide the club’s baseball operations,” Schmidt said in a statement. “Better seasons are ahead for the Rockies and our great fans, and I look forward to seeing it come to life in the years ahead.”

The new GM will make a decision on the managerial role. Warren Schaeffer has been the interim manager since stepping into the position when Bud Black was fired in May. He went 36-86 in a season that went sideways from the start.

The Rockies boast a young nucleus, but there are plenty of areas to shore up. They finished with a differential of minus-424, the worst since 1900, surpassing the minus-349 of the 1932 Boston Red Sox.

The starting rotation turned in a 6.65 ERA, the highest mark since it became an official stat in both leagues in 1913.

Dick Monfort said of the front-office change: “A new voice will benefit our organization as we work towards giving our fans the competitive team they deserve.”

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Pat Graham, The Associated Press