Son of Rockies' owner to lead struggling franchise

Walker Monfort, the eldest son of Colorado Rockies owner and CEO Dick Monfort, is being put in charge of the struggling franchise.

The Rockies announced Thursday that president and chief operating officer Greg Feasel will step down after 30 years with the franchise. The younger Monfort was named executive vice president, effective immediately, and will run the team along with Feasel through the end of the year before assuming control in January.

"While we thank Greg for his impact and service, we are excited to turn the page into our next chapter with Walker," Dick Monfort said in a statement. "He brings a deep understanding of this organization -- earned through his 20 years of experience working both within and alongside every department of our operation.

"He offers a fresh, forward-looking mindset, and we're confident his perspective, experience and leadership will benefit the club in the months and years to come."

Walker Monfort, 38, most recently has served as vice president of corporate partnerships for the Rockies.

Feasel, 66, has been with the franchise since 1995, two years after the expansion club began play in Denver. He started as vice president of sales and marketing and worked his way through the ranks before being named club president in April 2021.

"Greg has been a pillar of this organization since its earliest days," Dick Monfort said. "His leadership and vision helped shape not only the Colorado Rockies organization, but the entire baseball community throughout the Rocky Mountain region."

Colorado enters play Thursday with an 18-62 record, putting them on track to win just 36 games. That would break the record for most losses in a season set last year by the Chicago White Sox, who finished 41-121.

The Rockies are coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons.

In an interview with The Denver Post and MLB.com, Walker Monfort declined to discuss the future of general manager Bill Schmidt or talk about any other front office decisions.

"Ultimately, we're open to anything, and I think that's where I want to keep it," he said. "I think we're open to whatever it takes to make the Colorado Rockies better. But I would say it's really about maximizing our resources, right? And if we don't have the right resources in place, we should figure out a way to get the right resources in place. That's not just from a staffing perspective, it's really everything."

Walker Monfort said in the interview that he and his father are on the same page when it comes to turning around the product on the field. The Rockies have reached the postseason just five times in their 33-year existence, most recently in 2018.

"I don't think our vision is different; I think we have a very similar vision," he said. "We both want the same thing for this organization. We want to be a very high-caliber baseball team with the best customer service and the best experience in baseball.

"He's a partner in this. He's still the ultimate decision-maker. In the end, we're looking at getting this organization back to where it needs to be. And I think we can confidently say that we're going to do what we can to do that."