If the data that’s collected in the Rockies performance lab in Scottsdale is a tool, then Brandon Stone — Colorado’s manager of performance science — is the handyman holding the toolbox.
Stone has run the lab since its inception, which was the same time he joined the organization in January of 2024. Before working for the Rockies, Stone earned his PhD in cellular and behavioral neurobiology from the University of Oklahoma. Stone has climbed the ladder of sports psychology, working as a sports psychologist
at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), sports science coordinator for the Toronto Blue Jays, and director of sports science at OU. In other words, Stone has built a career out of studying the science to determine how baseball players can reach their full potential.
“Our philosophy is we try to understand how players think, move, and do. So how you move in the weight room or in normal life is going to influence how you move in the skills of the game. We try to understand how those things blend together to help tell a story about how that player moves in a variety of movement tasks,” Stone told Purple Row. “And then work alongside the player and the coach to help optimize those things. I think that’s the fun and challenging part of our job.”
Whether it’s in the lab, on the field during baserunning drills, in the bullpen or dugout, working with the R&D team, or in the weight room, Stone is always working on building and managing the toolbox for each player.
“To me, technology and analytics are tools to help us get [to maximum optimization],” Stone said. “And some tools are better for certain jobs, just like a normal toolbox. So we try to find the best tool for that job, for that particular player, or that side of the ball.”
For two years, Stone has been using various technologies to build what he calls a “database” of how each player moves in a variety of spaces. It’s an ongoing process to survey players’ short-term and long-term needs. It’s also always adapting and evolving, depending on the player and the situation.
“I think it helps us understand how our players bridge the gap between what their physical capacity is in the weight room and on the field and how they generally move,” Stone said. “And then the lab is that bridge to the game of how they express that capacity and the skill, specifically hitting and pitching. We look at how a player expresses their giving capacity in a controlled environment, and then figure out how we get them to maximize that in an uncontrolled, chaotic environment at 6:40 p.m. every night.”
This season, Stone’s role is changing a bit. While the majority of his work stems from data collection in the lab, Stone will be with the Major League players more often.
“I think the goal is to be around a lot more,” Stone said of his changing duties this season. “The game is the lab to a certain degree, especially with as much tracking as happens on field, but it’s also where theory and application meet. It’s our ability to work with the coach and the player across 162 games, and, quite frankly, 12 months out of the year.”
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, or Matt Daniels
Like most in the Rockies community, Stone welcomed the new front office and coaching staff that transformed the organization behind the scenes in the offseason. Stone said he could feel the excitement and buzz immediately. He’s impressed with everyone’s focus on curiosity, willingness to share and listen to ideas, and collaboration.
It also had a positive vibe because of the tight-knit web in the sports science and baseball world.
The new personnel weren’t very new to Stone. As a young junior college pitching coach, Stone worked with new Rockies bullpen coach Matt Buschmann. Being from Colorado and working for the USOPC, Stone met assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas when Ribas was coaching at the University of Northern Colorado. Although he didn’t know Matt Daniels, the new director of pitching, or hitting coach Brett Pill, Stone knew of them.
“It’s kind of a funny thing where you have a lot of crossover with different people,” Stone said. “It’s like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, and that helped a ton because you know people who have worked with these guys, so you’re already kind of starting ahead a little bit.”
That, along with the atmosphere that president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, general manager Josh Byrnes and assistant general managers Ian Levin and Tommy Tanos have set has laid a great foundation this offseason.
“It has allowed those relationships to springboard to where we’re at now, where it feels like it’s been a lot longer than six weeks — in a very good way,” Stone said.
A Colorado native, Stone is familiar with the challenges of performing at altitude. He also fits in with the “team of nerds” the new regime is cultivating. In his academic days, Stone published multiple articles, including one about neuromuscular fatigue in collegiate baseball pitchers. The combination should hopefully help the organization better combat the struggles of going from a mile high to sea level throughout the season.
“That’s an intrinsic part of what we deal with. It’s a fun challenge where the environment is a factor, and it can be a net asset for us,” Stone said. “I would say that I constantly think about it. I’m constantly working through what the current research is saying and our own internal research. Now that we’re building out more robust processes and with the people that we’re bringing on board with different perspectives, I think that allows us to grow that bank of information.”
‘Excited about a lot’
One of Stone’s favorite parts of his job is working with the players, who he credits with phemonenally handling all the changes of the offseason. With Opening Day one week away, Stone is excited to see how the offseason’s work pays off in terms of assessing where the team is at now and where they still need to go.
“I am excited about a lot. I think the biggest thing is that our players are just good humans who want to win. They want to compete. They want to get better. They want to grow,” Stone said. “And it’s been awesome to see the blend of players who have been here, but also the new players that have come in, the new staff who have come in, the new front office that came in, and it’s just you feel this energy of forward momentum. And so I’m excited to see where that goes.”
Stone has a lot of family and friends who are Rockies fans. They tell him they are eager to see the team’s new direction. Stone believes they should be because of what he’s seen in spring training from new and veteran players alike.
“I think the brand of baseball that people are starting to see in spring — we’re super aggressive, we’re athletic, we’re making plays, we’re taking chances — I’m just super excited about that,” Stone said. “I think that type of gameplay is going to be something that continues to show through. I’m excited for friends and family and other fellow Colorado fans to watch play out throughout the year.”
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