Spring training gives Weiss chance to shine
Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Today is the day Rockies manager Walt Weiss has been waiting for since the day he was hired on Nov. 7.
Weiss makes his managerial debut this afternoon when the Rockies play the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields, a site where both teams share their spring training facility.
It’s one thing to do workouts and meet with players, but that does not do anything for Weiss. Managing a ballgame does. He will get plenty of opportunity to see what he can do in the manager’s dugout during spring training.
We are going to find out how Weiss uses his players and manages his pitchers here. We will see how he evaluates talent in fitting other guys to the Opening Day roster. We get to discover how much work he has done in having the Rockies execute the fundamentals. We will know how aggressive the Rockies will be when it comes to hit and run.
How the Rockies perform this spring will indicate how much impact Weiss has made for that ballclub.
There’s no question the players are ready to show what they can do for their new boss. They want to make an impression after playing awful for then-Rockies manager Jim Tracy the last two seasons. They know they will be the next to go if they don’t get better as players.
It was easy to blame Tracy. He brought it on himself for not having the team prepared in games. He did not seem interested in managing in the final months of the year.
Now, there’s no excuse. The players know it. They have motivation to make amends for the last couple of seasons.
So far, it’s been a great camp. Guys had their work in. Everyone is saying the right things. That’s all well and good until the games start. The Rockies will be judged on results.
Spring training results does not mean much for most teams, but for the Rockies, it does. Weiss wants his team to approach spring training games as if this was regular season games.
The new Rockies manager knows he will be judged on spring training results. He wants to make an impression to his players, his bosses and Rockies fans.
He has received rave reviews for running spring training. Now, he has to translate that to wins early and often.
There are going to be questions if the Rockies get off to a bad start in spring training. There has been criticism about the organization hiring Weiss from Regis Jesuit High School, and folks are going to mention that again if the team struggles.
That’s why the first week of spring training is important for Weiss.
Weiss will continue to work with the young players during spring training. He and his staff have worked with the players when it came to baserunning and fielding. He is going to use these spring training games as a way of repetition for them to get even better.
He wants to use March as a month to see how the players improve each month. Obviously, he wants to see them get better, so that his team can be ready to go in April.
Weiss wants to build accountability and trust with his players. That can go a long way in building camaraderie and a winning attitude.
Most importantly, he wants to find the right 25 men on the Opening Day roster. He is giving many young guys a chance to make the club. He does not want to second-guess himself about selecting the young players come April.
There’s so much work to do in spring training. Regular season starts before Weiss knows it. There won’t be much time with games taking place almost every game. Players have to learn on the fly and go from there.
Today should be interesting for the rookie manager. He will get a chance to observe guys in live competition. He can only do so much with scrimmage and practice.
It should also be fun for the players.
It’s hard to get into spring training games. It gets boring after three weeks. For Weiss, it’s a different story. He needs every game he can get to get his team ready for Opening Day.
This spring training is certainly not going to be dull for the Rockies this year. That’s a good thing.
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