NEWSLETTER
To be very clear, it is absolutely conceivable that, in some organization, the offspring of an owner could be a perfectly capable baseball mind. Indeed, it would presumably be the case that you’d have to work sufficiently hard against charges of nepotism that maybe you’d actually be overqualified for whatever gig you got. In some organizations.
But the thing is, the Colorado Rockies have not operated in a way that nets them the benefit of the doubt when something like this pops up:
The #Rockies appear to have quietly named Sterling Monfort the new director of professional scouting. https://t.co/zAw5RwWcTU
— Purple Row (@PurpleRow) January 8, 2022
Sterling Monfort, 30, is the youngest son of Dick Monfort, the Rockies’ polarizing owner. To his credit, he has worked his way up the Rockies organizational ladder for eight years now, having joined his father’s organization right out of college.
Perhaps concerningly for Rockies fans, Monfort is reportedly replacing the role (part of the role?) held by former assistant GM Jon Weil, who handled player personnel and professional scouting for the Rockies (per BA) until the front office drama went down in June (Weil and fellow Assistant GM Zach Wilson both left the organization after long-time GM Jeff Bridich stepped down in April). Interim GM Bill Schmidt thereafter became the new GM, and now Monfort’s son is stepping up to take on a bigger role. In other words, what had been a deeply dysfunctional and ineffective front office by all accounts was cleared out in some ways … and then is filling back up with internal promotions? Including the owner’s son? It just seems … very … Rockies. (Seriously, if you’re unfamiliar with how bad things have been there, this Athletic article really gets you caught up to speed.)
I feel for the fans, to be honest. I’ve never met a Rockies fan who wasn’t cool, and interactions with them online have been really positive.
