As Rox match 2023 loss record, focus is on process, growth beyond '25

DENVER -- Interim manager Warren Schaeffer looks at his team’s record the only way one can look at a 40-103 record after Sunday afternoon’s 8-1 loss to the Padres at Coors Field. But it’s his job to look at how this team is progressing toward something better.

“Realistic isn’t always positive, right?” Schaeffer said Sunday morning, before the team tied its 2023 record for losses in a season. “Realistically, what are the Rockies today?

“The Rockies are a young team that is pushing every night to win ballgames and learning, and never giving in and moving forward to someday, hopefully soon in the near future, being a winning ballclub.”

For what it’s worth, the Rockies need to win just twice to surpass last year’s White Sox, whose 41-121 record featured the most losses in MLB’s Modern Era. Schaeffer made a formation with the fingers of his right hand to form a zero, to show exactly what it’s worth to him.

“It’s about the process, 100 percent,” he said. “If your process is going to be adjusted or altered for a negative goal, you’re missing out on what you can be doing in terms of positive goals when you’re pushing forward.”

On Sunday, Schaeffer could have chased win No. 41 and rode catcher Hunter Goodman, the team’s home run leader (29). But he rested him, as he has sat shortstop Ezequiel Tovar at times to prevent the recurrence of hip and oblique issues that have sent him to the injured list this year.

“I refuse to think 41 wins is a success, because it’s not,” Schaeffer said. “A World Series is a success next year, the following year, the following year, as opposed to 41 wins this year versus 40 wins. It’s completely asinine to me.”

Has the team shown tangible signs that it will move beyond discussions of paltry win totals?

Nothing can be done about the start of the season -- 7-33 under Bud Black before the managerial change. Schaeffer emphasized youth, and moves at the Trade Deadline and beyond have left the team with the Majors’ youngest roster (26 years on average). So tangible growth is all that makes sense.

Let’s look at two key offensive stats, divided into three periods:

• The 40 games before Schaeffer became manager: .216 team batting average, 27.2 percent strikeout rate.
• June 1 (allowing for his philosophies regarding communication and playing time decisions to begin taking effect) through Saturday: .257 BA, 24.3 percent K rate.
• Second half through Saturday: .265 BA, 23 percent strikeout rate.

Improvement occurred because Tyler Freeman and Mickey Moniak proved useful additions, Tovar has been healthy since two lengthy injured list stints and Brenton Doyle shook off a horrendous early slump. Also, rookies Kyle Karros at third base and Warming Bernabel at first base replaced hard-swing, high-strikeout hitters Ryan McMahon (traded to the Yankees) and Michael Toglia (optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque).

How has Schaeffer implemented the improvements?

With the experience level reducing as the season progressed, there was only so much the staff -- all of whom managed or worked in the Minor League system before joining the big club -- could teach during a Major League season. The immediate introduction of daily review/video/discussion during hitters meetings was the beginning of teaching an improved thought process.

Schaeffer is peddling digestible pointers.

He has preached aggressive baserunning since he took the job. In recent weeks, Schaeffer has offered data on how Rockies runners compared to better running clubs on primary and secondary leads from first and second base, and he has seen improvement.

“It seems that players today, when they see things on paper that they’re not good at, they want to improve it and they immediately improve it,” Schaeffer said.

Another challenge has been improving outfield defense. Doyle has won two straight Gold Glove Awards, but his performance suffered early because of near collisions with Jordan Beck in left and Freeman and Moniak in right. Two catches by Doyle in Saturday’s 10-8 loss in the deepest parts of Coors were evidence of better communication.

Sunday, however, highlighted the Rockies’ biggest problem: starting pitching. Righty Tanner Gordon was coming off four straight solid starts, but yielded home runs to Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets while giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings. While the Rockies have improved hitting late in games, starts from a rotation that owns the Majors’ worst ERA (6.68) are the reason much of the offensive improvement comes in games when comebacks fall short.

There is so much more to do.

“When I took over the job, there was a list of things that are important to me and the staff and should be important to the players,” Schaeffer said. “You want to be consistent with that moving forward. I want to implement things that I haven’t had a chance to implement yet because I haven’t had a Spring Training.

“The emphasis needs to be on the baserunning, playing hard at all times, playing without fear and improving in every area. Personally, these young guys are battling at the plate until the end. These are things we’ve been talking about, they have progressed and the numbers have gotten better as we’ve gone on.”