Rockies Co-Owner Says Franchise Needs 'New Set of Eyeballs'

Charlie Montfort, one of the co-owners of the Colorado Rockies, is saying what most fans are saying about the franchise.

May 10, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; A detail view of a Colorado Rockies players hat and glove in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies are in a bad place these days. Their ownership knows it.

The Bud Black era as manager ended last month. But the damage was basically done when he was fired. The Rockies are epically bad, pointed toward a third straight 100-loss season and their seventh straight losing season.

It’s possible Colorado could be so bad this year that it might break the record for most losses in a season, set by the Chicago White Sox in 2024.

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Warren Schaeffer is the interim manager and unlikely to be retained at season’s end. Bill Schmidt is the general manager, and the long-time Rockies employee — who started in their scouting department in 1999 — could see his job end up on the firing line at season’s end.

Team ownership will make that decision, led by Richard Montfort, the franchise’s owner, chairman and chief executive officer. But he’ll have help. His brother, Charles K. Montfort, is taking a more active role in the franchise after taking a step back five years ago due to his problems with alcohol.

The Denver Post did an expansive piece on Charles Montfort on Sunday, as writer Patrick Saunders had a long sit-down interview with the 65-year-old. Richard Montfort confirmed that Charles is taking on a more active role in the organization. Per the Post, Charles attended the Baseball Hall of Fame induction of Todd Helton last year and was consulted on the firing of Black last month.

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In the interview, Charles Montfort made it clear what he believes the franchise needs at a point where it is among baseball’s worst.

“I think we need a new set of eyeballs,” he said to Saunders. “We need to give someone the opportunity. Someone who knows baseball and has lived and breathed baseball, and sometimes, died with baseball.

“Someone who knows everything that all of the good teams we face do, from grassroots on up. Someone who is going to stand by their decisions because they are going to live with it.”

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Those are the words of someone who appears to want to remake the organization. That could be the first task of the Montforts once the season is over.

Both Charles and Richard Montfort were among the club’s founders and its managing general partners since the franchise’s founding in 1992.

While Colorado hasn’t won a World Series, the Rockies did get there in 2007, where they lost to the Boston Red Sox. The Rockies have never won a National League West title. But they have reached the playoffs five different times, all as Wild Card teams, the latest of which was in 2018.

It will be interesting to see where the Montforts take the franchise, especially now that it appears Charlie is more involved.  

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