Rockies Revamp Staff; Steve Foster to Become Organization Director of Pitching Operations

First came the resignation of Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich in the opening month of the 2021 season, and a series of organizational changes have followed in the six months since, starting with making former scouting director Bill Schmidt the acting general manager in the wake of Bridich’s departure and then, on the final weekend of the season, announcing the GM job was Schmidt’s for real.

Within days after Schmidt’s assuming the acting GM role, Jon Weil, assistant general manager-player personnel, and Zach Wilson, assistant general manager player development, departed.

And last week, it became public that Mark Wiley, 73, took the first step toward retirement by giving up his role as the director of pitching operations, although he is expected to remain as a special assignment assistant for Schmidt.

Steve Foster gave up the big-league pitching coach role he undertook in 2005, and will replace Wiley in the role of director of pitching operations, giving Foster more flexibility in his schedule, and will allow him to have some time to enjoy watching his daughter Lauren pitch in her senior year at the University of Wisconsin.

Hitting coach Dave Magadan is expected to return for a fourth season on the staff of manager Bud Black, but assistant hitting coaches Jeff Salazar and Tim Doherty won’t be back.

In addition to Magadan and Scott, Black is expected to retain third base coach Stu Cole, who has been with the organization for 27 years, the last nine as the third-base coach; first base coach Ron Gideon, who has been with the franchise for 26 years, the last six in the big leagues, and bench coach Mike Redmond, the first coach Black hired after joining the franchise.