Rockies fire new analytics head Scott Van Lenten months after hiring
The Colorado Rockies fired the person hired to head their analytics department just a few months ago, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reported Wednesday morning.
Scott Van Lenten, 38, was hired by the team last fall to head Colorado's modest-sized department under new general manager Bill Schmidt.
While the exact nature of the firing has not been revealed, one source told the Post "there were 'major disagreements' regarding Van Lenten’s role with the club." He was one of many new faces Schmidt added to the department after the pandemic depleted its employee list.
Van Lenten commented prior to taking the job with Colorado that he had some hesitation about accepting a role with a team that had such a small analytics department, much like the department he worked in while with the Washington Nationals.
"When the Rockies reached out and were interested in talking to me, I was excited but I wanted to make sure what I was getting into," Van Lenten told MLB.com upon getting hired by the Rockies in September. "I wanted to make sure they were going to provide the resources, make sure they were going to be supportive and have a real vision and are going to have the resources to do it the right way. They were very supportive."
Van Lenten worked as an analyst for the Nationals from 2017 to 2021 and was promoted to senior analyst following the 2019 season.
There is no word yet as to how the Rockies plan to fill the role now that Van Lenten has been dismissed.
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