Colorado Rockies interview Matt Williams for Manager - MLB Update
The Colorado Rockies on Monday concluded their formal interviews for the manager’s post with Matt Williams being the last candidate to interview for the position.
Williams is currently managing the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, where a few future Rockies’ prospects are also playing.
Those present for the interview included the Rockies’ owner and CEO d**k Monfort, senior vice president of baseball operations Bill Geivett and general manager of the Rockies Dan O’Dowd.
After Jim Tracy’s resignation on October 7, three other candidates have also been interviewed for the manager’s post. These include Tom Runnells, who was the bench coach during Tracy’s tenure. Walt Weiss, who was previously associated with the Rockies as
an advisor and instructor and currently coaches the Regis Jesuit High School team and veteran first baseman Jason Giambi.
Giambi is a free agent but he is willing to hang his shoes if given a chance to manage the Colorado Rockies.
The 46-year-old, who is currently the third base coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was pleased how the interview fared. "It was a pleasure to speak with Dan, d**k and 'Geivo' again," Williams said. "I really enjoyed the process of the interview.”
He further stated that they discussed baseball and matters related to the game. “We talked baseball, I tried to answer their questions and get an idea of what they're looking for, then we left it at they're going to talk internally and be in touch either
way. It was a good, very enlightening experience," he said. Discussion about the altitude at the Coors Field and managing on the away trips were also brought up.
Williams had his first proper managerial experience this season with the Rafters in the AFL. Previously he had an interim stint as a manager with the Double-A Mobiles when their regular manager Brett Butler had suffered a stroke. He also managed in the AFL
in 2007 for part of the season when regular manager Chip Hale was coaching the Diamondbacks in the playoffs. This was Matt’s first formal interview for the manager’s position by a Major League team.
He was the first base coach for the Diamondbacks in 2010 and third base coach from 2011 onwards. The third baseman had an accomplished Major League career between 1987 and 2003. During this period, he played for three Major League franchises. He spent the
last few years of his career with the Diamondbacks and has had an association with them in different capacities. Williams also has a previous experience in broadcasting for the D-backs between 2005 and 2009.
The Colorado Rockies have not given any timeline on when they will be announcing the name of their new manager. They have some good candidates to choose from and one hopes that the outcome will help the team move forward in the near future.
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