Rockies offseason journal: Everyone wants to manage in Colorado

(Editor’s note: I am back from a long nap, getting old, and doing everything I could to not think about the Colorado Rockies for a few days. I appreciate your patience and now return to give you my daily thoughts on the Rockies through this series of offseason articles chronicling however I may be feeling about the club on any given day.) 

Winter is coming.

Soon, the world will freeze over just like hell did when they learned that the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs would be playing in the World Series. I guess that means there is hope for a Rockies vs. Mariners meeting in the fall classic some day.

But as October winds down and one fan base or the other readies itself to lose their minds in pure joy, Rockies fans are plotting for the day they get to be a part of these festivities. It’s going to be a long winter and the Rockies have a lot on their to-do list, starting with hiring a manager.

I want to be absolutely clear about two things: One, I have no idea who the Rockies next skipper will be, and two, I’m not sure it really matters that much.

BUT …

The fact that so many qualified men have expressed their interest — all the way up to Bud Black, the most experienced free agent manager available — shows to the world how far the Rockies have come in just a short time. Before last season, it would have been nearly unimaginable for many to imagine Colorado as a hot destination spot for smart baseball people. Even after the disappointment of 2016, the very unscientific poll of me checking Twitter and Facebook suggests that the fan base still believes this organization to be a joke.

And it’s understandable to a certain degree why. Ultimately, winning breeds confidence while losing breeds frustration and anger which tend to cloud judgment. People are angry and want to see change now. That the Rockies came so tantalizingly close in 2016 only further rubbed salt in the wounds of those who didn’t see this year as a step forward but instead yet another disappointment in a long line of them.

In reality, the Rockies 2016 season was both a major disappointment and a massive step forward, and that is kind of strange. We have been documenting the young and upcoming talent for some time, and obviously, names like David Dahl, Trevor Story, Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, and Jeff Hoffman are attractive to anyone looking to join the organization. But those players and the potential they represent are a symptom. They are indicative not of the Rockies getting lucky with landing a few exciting player but of a system that has turned the corner in terms of its development.

The emergence of the young players in 2016 wasn’t just a “see, I told you so” moment for the Rockies, it was proof they needed for themselves that the changes made about five years ago to the development process were the right decisions. They finally have a foundation in place that doesn’t just crank out a few great players every once in a while but seems to be in full swing getting the best out of literally hundreds of guys inside the system. Of course, most of those still won’t pan out at the MLB level, but that is mostly the point. When players like Jordan Patterson or Raimel Tapia or German Marquez really start to pop, it will become just that much more clear how strong the Rockies have become at drafting, scouting, and developing.

Those on the outside looking at this organization with wandering eyes aren’t doing so just because of what’s on the menu. They are doing so because of a newly found faith for those in the kitchen.