The Colorado Rockies have appointed Paul DePodesta as their new president of baseball operations, effective immediately. DePodesta brings extensive experience from Major League Baseball and the NFL to the role. The move signals a new era for the club's baseball department.
The Colorado Rockies announced the hiring of Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations on a recent date, with the appointment taking effect right away. DePodesta, who most recently served as chief strategy officer for the Cleveland Browns since 2016, has a long history in baseball executive roles.
DePodesta's MLB career spans 20 years. He was vice president of player development and amateur scouting for the New York Mets from 2011 to 2015. Before that, he worked as a special assistant for baseball operations and executive vice president with the San Diego Padres from 2006 to 2010, general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2004 to 2005, and assistant general manager with the Oakland Athletics from 1999 to 2003 during the 'Moneyball' era. He began with the Cleveland Indians as an intern in player development in 1996, advancing to major league advance scout for 1997-98 and special assistant to the GM. Notably, DePodesta is the only executive to have won division titles with five different organizations.
Rockies Executive Vice President Walker Monfort stated, “Paul’s previous work in MLB set the foundation for many aspects of the way the game is analyzed today and we are thrilled for him to be a key figure in our future. Under his leadership, we will evolve the Colorado Rockies into what we know will be an exciting new era.” Owner, Chairman and CEO Dick Monfort added, “Today is an exciting day for the Rockies organization as we welcome Paul as our new president of baseball operations. Paul was the very first person we interviewed, and throughout our conversations with him Walker and I were both intrigued by his understanding of the game, his positive attitude, his process-based mindset and his influence on the game. This is a special guy with great vision and a great plan. He is a winner and he is going to win in Colorado.”
DePodesta, a native of Alexandria, Virginia, graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1995 with a degree in economics, where he played baseball and football. He commented, “I have always kept my eye on baseball and this is an incredible opportunity to help make an impact in the next chapter of the Rockies. Building a consistent winner here is a shared goal and one that I am eager to embrace alongside Rockies leaders, staff, players, and fans. I am ready for the challenge and excited to get started immediately.”
DePodesta will attend the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas from November 10-12. The Rockies plan a press conference to introduce him on November 13 at 10 a.m. MT at Coors Field.