Last Friday, shortly after I sent a newsletter out that would immediately be discarded as no longer fun to play with due to this news, the Rockies announced that the Penner Sports Group had purchased 40% of the club from the Monforts. A big deal! The Penner’s are famously the owners of the Denver Broncos and are directly tied to the Walton family. The Walton family, if you’re not aware due to maybe growing up in another country or refusing to learn anything about any rich people ever (smart), represent the primary ownership of the big box mega giant WAL MART. Started as a humble five and dime in Arkansas, Wal Mart is now by far the single largest retailer in the country. Every town has a Wal Mart and now Denver has two of them.

The sale prompted celebrations across social media like the Rockies had just been liberated from Holy Roman principalities by the French Republican army. Someone, finally, had arrived to rid us of this insular and oddly designed group of owners.

Only, that wasn’t totally the story. The Rockies framed the investment as a way for the team to clear outstanding debt and create a better game day service for fans. Unsure what the second part means but the first part feels like they’re clearing books for further transitions OR are anticipating a situation where the books may have to be opened during a CBA fight. Maybe the second part means more Wal Mart trinkets in the stands. A Wal Mart handbag for the first 10,000 fans. Something to that nature. The point is, the Monforts are still the majority owners and still, as of now, have full control of the daily operations of the club. So, nothing has really changed in the near term.

It’s hard not to think this has changed something though. The Monforts are like if the Knights Templar pivoted from the Crusades to some kind of multi-level marketing scheme. For them to open their doors, open their books, and welcome in different blood (in the literal non-family sense) is…well it’s interesting to say the least. Many began to wonder if perhaps the 43 win season has prompted the family to look into exiting the investment. I would believe that when I see it. For all of his faults and failures, Dick Monfort has openly loved this team and the sport for as long as he has owned it. The bottom falling out of on his management of the club may push him into a scenario where he is willing to end his reign, but why should it? He could still be noted as a genius for hiring DePodesta and rebuilding the Rockies out of the ashes he personally burned down, after all. That’s how this works. Nobody asks questions once you’re good again. If the Rockies were to make the playoffs in five seasons or less, there would be countless profiles on Monfort having the guts to take a step back. So I’m not convinced this is a first step to departure, at least not in the time you’d want it to take, but I do think there is something to think about with this. They’ve welcomed in owners willing to invest in things and it would take a lot to convince me that has zero impact.

Speaking of money, initially, my thought was this made the Rockies the richest ownership group in sports. But the Walton-Penner family only claims about $5 billion in net worth. Petty cash vs. Steve Cohen or the Dodgers group. But I will say that the money is flimsy when it gets that big. Cohen’s net worth is tied up in whatever money laundering schemes he is operating in, the Dodgers are largely tied to an investment fund that has additional holdings. It’s difficult to say where the Rockies land fully and what the Walton’s claim vs. what they actually have. In any case, it’s a rapid escalation of wealth. The Monforts aren’t even billionaires. Can you believe that? How embarrassing. Maybe they can sell the club so they can actually get some walking around money! Spend a few dollars at the candy store or something.

This all really signifies that the next phase of the Rockies will be one dictated by outside voices. Combine this news with the moves to bring in an actual Baseball Ops structure and you start to see a club that at least realizes someone who doesn’t have a surname Monfort should have a say in how things are done. Which, hey, is surprisingly a huge deal. Whether that actually brings success or not isn’t something you can reasonably predict today. It’s all just different. Rockies fans and media have to feel like a new dawn has risen, even if it’s only a false one.

Anyway, however you feel about Wal Mart (and I feel quite negatively)(And I personally love their dedication to keeping prices low for the hardworking American consumer), I think the move perks your eyebrows. More money for the team to invest is good, but where will they invest it? Will they cut Kris Bryant loose rather than wait for him to make the inevitable decision to retire? Will they fund some kind of trap door system for more outfielders to secretly play on the grass and catch the ball? (Which I talked about over 10 years ago in Purple Row)

Something to consider.

Whatever happens next, we’ve never experienced it before.

Connor’s Guys will be an update on the Guys I want to follow through the Rockies minor league system. This won’t necessarily be the best prospects, don’t expect a top-100 guy here, but guys I find interesting. Every now and then we’ll add a new guy when I spot someone putting up an interesting line or having a unique profile to look into

The two worlds of Max Belyeu. He has five XBH which has kept his OPS afloat while he strikes out the rest of the time. 14 Ks in 46 PAs is still running a 30% K Rate for those that want to do some napkin math. Need this guy to become a power monster so I can adapt how Yankee fans feel about Spencer Jones into Max Belyeu. Every organization needs a Joey Gallo.

JB Middleton has had the best start so far, all things considered. He’s been limited and yet to really go deep in a game (though not getting the Full Brecht treatment), but he’s still striking out a batter per inning. I’d predict, based on this nice start, he gets shifted up a level or two by the end of the summer and becomes yet another college arm in Albuquerque by next year. Middleton has three very good pitches (fastball, slider, change), but I would expect the Rockies to have him expand his sinker as he moves up the minor leagues, especially with how well that mix has worked for guys in the bigs so far.

Hey, you want to talk about something with your pals this week? Want to sound interesting or smart when someone brings up the Rockies? Sick of everyone having the same thing to say so you wanna change it up? Try this on for size this week.

Christ, the Rockies strike out a lot. More than anyone else! That statement could be said about any time since…well as long as I can remember. It’s something they’ve had a problem with for a very long time and something they have paid some lip service to trying to fix but haven’t really drafted or developed guys that change that (see: Belyeu, Max). So for the foreseeable future this is going to continue to be a problem. Guys like Julien and TJ Rumfield that don’t have high chase % should help, but they still employ Hunter Goodman, Zeke Tovar, and Brenton Doyle who have all struck out over 20 times already. A lot of has been said about the Rockies “playing teams close”, they’re losing by 1 or 2 runs a lot these days, and I think there’s something to discourse on the Rockies strikeouts killing their ability to score that tying run or take leads late.

They strikeout seemingly all the time, but you can see a bit of pressing when the game is close or tied. When they’re ahead, at any measure, their K rate is 23% in 236 PAs. That’s fine. When they’re behind, which they have been in 288 PAs, it’s 30%. Now, there’s probably a correlation without causation lurking here, that much I can admit to. The Rockies lose games they strikeout a lot in and win games they don’t so it would make sense that in games they are losing, they are striking out. Regardless of whether it’s game situation. But some additional figures:

It just feels like this is happening in closer games enough that I want to point that the Rockies tend to adjust negatively within their at-bats. Logically, this tracks, there is an added stressor on the moment. But I think there’s an argument they are just straight up bad all the time so the clutchness (or lack of it) of the team is erroneous to the argument.

Something to think about though, something to talk to the coworkers about. Many times people point to teams playing close as signs that the process is working they’re just losing on the weird bounces or margins, but maybe the Rockies just heighten their bad habits when things tighten up.

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