Rockies part ways with new head of analytics department, Scott Van Lenten

A mere seven months after hiring him as the new head of the revamped analytics department, the Colorado Rockies have moved on from Scott Van Lenten.

Van Lenten came to the organization in August ‘21 after four years with the Washington Nationals in a role as an analyst and, following the club’s 2019 World Series triumph, a senior analyst in the research and development department.

Before getting his start with the Baltimore Orioles as an intern, Van Lenten went to Miami (OH) University for statistics and communication, and received a master’s degree in developmental psychology from Arizona State University. 

As for the reasoning, the Rockies declined to give comment about the personnel decision. “Major disagreements” about Van Lenten’s role were the words used by one source that spoke to The Denver Post, who first reported the change in leadership. 

Until the Rockies conduct a search for a replacement, Assistant GM Zack Rosenthal will take charge of the analytics department. 

The organization saw the R&D department shrink during the pandemic and a hiring freeze prevented the group from becoming whole again. 

Under new GM Bill Schmidt, several new faces came into the fold in an attempt to catch up with the rest of MLB.

Now, the analytics department takes a step backwards with another vacancy.