Not only will Walt Weiss be back for the 2016 season, today the Rockies announced that the entire coaching staff will be back too.
Jeff Bridich and Walt Weiss have announced that the 2015 #Rockies Major League field staff will return in 2016.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) October 20, 2015
Led by Walt Weiss the staff will feature bench coach Tom Runnells, who will be in his eight (seventh full) season as the Rockies’ bench coach. Runnells has spent time managing the Rockies AAA affiliate, and when he was 36, he spent parts of two years as the manager of the Montreal Expos. The former big league infielder spent most of his career in the minors, but he has plenty of coaching experience.
Returning for a third year will be hitting coach Blake Doyle. Doyle never played in the big leagues or coached in the big leagues prior to his tenure with the Rockies, he spent nine seasons in the minors and he had run a hitting academy for 33 years in Florida prior to joining the Rockies. Although the Rockies were fifth in runs scored in 2015, Doyle has received much criticism since the club batted a major league worst .228 on the road. The club scored a woeful 3.5 runs a game on the road as well, the Rockies in Doyle’s tenure have been drastically better hitting while at home.
Steve Foster will be back for his second year after joining the Rockies from the Royals staff. Foster’s staff allowed opponents to hit .283, while scoring 844 runs, both major league worsts.
Darren Holmes will also be back for his second season. Last year was his first as a Major League coach, but he was the Braves’ biomechanics pitching consultant before coming to the Rockies. Homes like Foster is a former big leaguer, Homes was a very successful major league reliever, and one of the best in Rockies history. This year his bullpen had to throw the second most innings in baseball, and they had the worst ERA in baseball.
Eric Young and Stu Cole remain as the basecoaches. Cole will be in his third year as a basecoach, Young in his second. Each are very familiar with the organization as Young is one of its most historic figures and Cole will be in his 21st season as a member of the Rockies franchise. The baserunning was not great in 2015, but it took a step forward.
Rene Lachemann will be back as the Rockies catching guru and defensive positioning coach. This will mark his 53rd consecutive season in professional baseball, which will break the late Don Zimmer‘s mark for the most consecutive seasons as a member of a Major League club. It will be Lachemann’s fourth season on the Rockies’ staff.
The Colorado Rockies were 68-94 in 2015, and finished last in the NL West.
