The 2018 NL Wild Card seems like such a distant memory.
The Colorado Rockies would go on to beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in 13 innings, an instant classic by any means. And there were two heroes of that game: right-handed reliever Scott Oberg, who struck out four-straight Cubs
in the 12th and 13th to earn the win, and Tony Wolters, who was a sub in the 12th and ended up delivering the game-winning hit in the 13th.It was the Rockies’ last postseason victory, as they were then swept by the Milwaukee Brewers
in the NLDS and haven’t made the playoffs since.
Flash forward seven years, and both players have since retired. But both have also rejoined the Rockies in a new capacity: coach.
Oberg joined the Rockies in 2023 as a special assistant to the GM after his medical retirement. He was subsequently hired as a minor-league pitching coordinator in January 2025. Wolters retired in January 2024, and rejoined the organization as the ACL Rockies bench coach.
“Baseball has been a major part of my life since I started when I was three, four or five years old,” Oberg said of his decision to turn to coaching.
“I was offered a wonderful opportunity. I felt like I matured and grew up and became who I am today, with a large part being with this organization. And if the window of opportunity was there, I wanted to find a way to give back and help these guys.”
Wolters made his decision for a different reason.
“I think for me, in my last year with the [Minnesota] Twins, I wasn’t playing as much, and I got to have really good baseball conversations with the team. I was able to sometimes throw BP, do stuff with the catchers, work on different things and be creative with the work and the perspective that I had,” Wolters said.
“I started seeing a different perspective with the game,” he continued. “I felt like that year, I was kind of coaching and learning about the game from different perspectives – getting to see games from the dugout view more, and I enjoyed it.”
But there was one big reason Wolters turned to coaching: his family.
“I have a daughter and my wife is a hard worker, and I needed to find a little bit of balance in life so I decided to be a dad,” he continued. “Then this opportunity came about with [Chris] Forbes, and I really appreciate the Rockies organization giving me this opportunity to find balance in life.”
Additionally, having been in the Rockies organization gives Wolters more insight.
“I think I know what the Rockies are about,” he said. “They’re about investing in their players, and they want to win. They want to develop the person on the field and off, and I felt that when I came here.”
However, both of them are relatively new to the job and still learning how to navigate various challenges.
“[I’ve had] a lot of conversations with a lot of people that are way smarter than I am,” Oberg said.
“And I think just being curious about things, understanding and removing myself from the equation and pouring back into the guys more than anything else. Part of it for myself, too, is to continued learning of all the things that are out there and hopefully take those things and try to help these guys.”
“It’s a slow process,” echoed Wolters.
“I think the game is all about adjustability. As a player, you’re constantly adjusting with where your game is and what the team needs of you. It’s kind of the same thing with coaching – you’re constantly adjusting with the game. And that’s the one thing about coaching: You can’t have an ego.”
That all said, they both got the same advice from Forbes, something that has been radiating through the Rockies organization this year: It’s all about relationships.
“I think the biggest thing when I started talking with Forbes is connecting with players,” Wolters said.
“The connecting piece is big. And for me, being a catcher, that was one of my keys. I felt like being a pitcher in general is hard – they’re on a mound all by themselves and catching, when I started doing the job I wanted to do, I felt like I was helping the guys and connecting with them, making them feel like, ‘Hey, I’m with you. It’s we – It’s not me. It’s not you. It’s we. And we’re gonna get this guy out.’ Same correlation when I’m coming here and I’m trying to get to know these guys – knowing where they’re from, what makes them tick, what makes them frustrated and seeing what their personality is like.”
“Forbes always talks about connection and building relationships with the guys, so that’s at least from the very onset,” Oberg echoed.
“That’s how I’m building my foundation and trying to go from there. [I’m] reaching out to players as often as I can or finding little things that we can both expand a conversation on or whatever it may be. It doesn’t necessarily always have to be baseball specific or baseball related, but I try to go out of my way to build the trust organically.”
And, of course, despite some of the challenges of being new on the job, both had some highlights in their young coaching careers.
“I think maybe one specific example would be seeing McCade Brown’s debut this year,” Oberg said. “And then also having this be the first draft class that I’m an official coach of, and now I get to see their progression and how they move up the system and things like that. So this will be a class that I’ll maybe have a little more attachment with.”
“The biggest highlight was probably down here in the ACL – clinching and seeing those kids’ faces, how excited they were,” Wolters said. “It shows you that they work their tails off and the work paid off. And to see the players see that work paid off, and they get to go play for something more and bigger than themselves. That was probably the highlight.”
It’s hard to say where both of these players-turned-coaches will end up with the impending organizational shakeup, but one thing is for sure: having them and their Coors Field experience so far seems positive, and hopefully they can stick around to continue shaping the next generation of Rockies players.
Arizona Fall League
Scottsdale Scorpions 12, Salt River Rafters 3
The Rafters struggled against the Scorpions on a warm Wednesday evening, managing three runs on just four hits with three errors. It was a hit parade for the Scorpions, who smacked 16 of them. Three of the Scorpions’ runs and three of their hits came off Rockies’ right-hander Jack Mahoney (HM PuRP), who pitched the fourth and fifth innings. He also walked two batters and struck out one.
The Rockies also had three hitters in the lineup — 1B Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP), LF Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP), and 3B Braylen Wimmer. Unfortunately, though, they went a combined 0-for-10 with six strikeouts and a walk.
Rockies fans always knew how good of a defender Ryan McMahon was, but he was always lost in the shuffle playing for this team. Now that he’s in the Bronx, Yankees fans (and media) are taking notice, as well. And last night, he put the Yankees on the board with a solo home run. He’s certainly fitting his role as a plus defender hitting in the bottom of the lineup with the Yankees, so it will be interesting to see how he comes back in 2025 after a full offseason with them.
Four Colorado Rockies Pitchers Named Among Seven Worst in Baseball | Sports Illustrated
It was a tough year for the Rockies, especially on the pitching side. It was a year of “everything that could go wrong, probably did go wrong.” Sean O’Leary from Sports Illustrated identified the seven worst pitchers in baseball, and unfortunately, the Rockies had four of them: Angel Chivilli, Ryan Rolison, Antonio Senzatela and Germán Márquez.
Previewing arbitration for the Colorado Rockies in 2025 | Purple Row
Once again, the Rockies dropped huge news on a Wednesday that buried Skyler’s Rockpile. Make sure you go back and read it!
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
