Managing all of the Colorado Rockies gear is a big task, one that falls to Mike “Tiny” Pontarelli, Assistant Director of the Major League Clubhouse.
(You may remember from earlier this season, Renee Dechert wrote about the Rockies’ home run coat. In that interview, she spoke Pontarelli about how the clubhouse manages and cares for the coat.)
Pontarelli has served as the Rockies home clubhouse manager since the 2016-2017 offseason, after beginning his career in 2005 as an assistant clubhouse manager and later being promoted to visiting clubhouse manager. Prior to that, he worked as a bat boy for the Denver Zephyrs in his youth before transitioning to working in the Rockies clubhouse when the team came to be.
“I kind of became part of the furniture a little bit, if you will,” he joked, “and then sort of grew into the job when I was in high school where I was coming and going between school, baseball practice, and everything else I had going on. And I was a pretty outgoing kid, so I got to know people, and I would talk to everybody.”
Pontarelli worked with the Rockies through high school and college while playing baseball himself, but he said it never crossed his mind to make a career out of it. When he graduated from Regis University, he had a “short career in finance” where he worked in an investment firm before coming back to baseball in 2005, where he has worked ever since.
“It’s been a lot of stories – a lot of innings, a lot of baseball, a lot of sunflower seeds and everything else – but I learned the business,” he said. “I applied what I learned in the financial world to what I do now with budgets and inventory and management of staff and things like that. And I really felt like I’ve gotten pretty good at the logistical part of what we do, as well, so it ended up being a career that I’ve really enjoyed.”
But what does that role look like?
During the Rockies recent road trip to Arizona, Pontarelli took me behind the curtain of how he – and the rest of the staff – keep the Rockies clubhouse running through the ups-and-downs of a Major League Baseball season.
Road operations
Standing in the visiting dugout at Chase Field, Pontarelli shed some light on the road operations for the Rockies.
“Our operation on the road is really focused on equipment,” he said.
“At home, I’m overseeing the clubhouse operation as well as the equipment operation, but here, I’m focused on our environment – making sure everything looks right and the lockers are where they should be. I’ll coordinate some of that stuff with Bob (Doty, Diamondbacks’ visiting clubhouse manager), but really, I’m focused on equipment and making sure all our ducks are in a row and we’re following the schedule on the field, which we send out every night, so everyone knows what to expect.”
Additionally, they have to always be planning for potential roster moves. Usually they come from the 40-man roster, but the clubhouse staff is always prepared for “where you could have a player out of nowhere” (such as the trade deadline) and make sure to pack for “an additional 20 players or so” so they’re ready for moves.
“We have blank uniforms and letter kits and number kits, and those are required to be sewn on. So every clubhouse you visit has someone that can sew either nearby or one of the clubhouse guys can sew,” he said. “This is our home away from home in Arizona, so if something were to happen here where we call guys up or something like that who I don’t have uniforms for, I can call my guy that I use during spring training. Will does a fabulous job all throughout spring training, and then at home, we have a really good seamstress – Donna – who does an amazing job.”
Player operations
Like most jobs, there are certain times of the year that are busier than others.
For Major League Baseball, probably the busiest time of year is the trade deadline. That means Pontarelli and his team have to start preparing for moves that the Rockies could make – both on the sending and receiving ends.
“Going into the trade deadline – I’d say about four days out from the actual deadline itself – I make sure that I have all my ducks in a row and make sure that I’m prepared to send my counterparts all the information they need,” he said, “hat size, helmet size, Dri-FIT size, jersey size. What does Fanatics have on file for them if we need to make a jersey quick?”
He then gave the example of Brenton Doyle and ensuring the White Sox had everything ready to go for Doyle’s arrival on the South Side.
“I called my counterpart over there (Rob Warren). We exchanged sizes on players and everything we had,” Pontarelli said. “I’ll also send him contact information, so he’s able to reach out. I’ll tell him, ‘Hey, he’s got a bat order coming in next week. I’ll just redirect that to you.’ All those things. We coordinate a lot – everything from, ‘Do you want to ship Brenton’s car out there? Do you want me to take care of it?’ And they were on the road, and I was at home. So I said, ‘I’ve got time, you’re on the road. I’ll take care of getting his car picked up and getting it out your way.’”
He also described Connor Norby’s arrival from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Victor Vodnik, but that was a bit of an anomaly around the trade deadline.
“In our case with (Connor) Norby, I felt like I had time to call Fanatics and have them cut and sew everything in the factory and overnight them to me the next day, so I did that,” he said. “Whereas in a lot of cases – if I knew he was coming out the next day or something like that – I’d probably have some stuff done in house on stock jerseys. And fans would never know the difference between a custom jersey and a stock jersey, but a player will tell the difference. He’s like ‘I think I’m missing half an inch on my sleeve. It doesn’t feel quite right.’ All of those things are important to the players.”
But then Pontarelli stressed the importance of building relationships with other clubhouse managers, so they can help each other out in high-stress, fast-moving times such as those.
“It’s important to have those relationships,” he said. “And it’s important at the Winter Meetings every year to sit down with these guys and hang out and have a meal together because you end up working together on things, and you want to be able to say, ‘Hey, can you do me a favor? No problem at all.’ So you have genuine relationships with these guys, and you help the whole thing work.”
Equipment operations
One of the biggest jobs of the clubhouse management team is keeping tabs on player equipment and making sure everything is in tip top shape. That includes things such as uniforms, as well as equipment such as bats and helmets.
“Going into the regular season, for the most part, every player has two of each jersey style,” Pontarelli said. “On the road, we take purple and we take gray, so I pack one purple and one gray in each guy’s bag and then I keep another set locked up in my trunk. And if it’s getting hotter – like in St. Louis – I end up getting a bunch of jerseys out and putting them on a rack if guys want to swap.”
He then gave some examples of how different players utilize uniforms throughout games, especially in hot and/or humid climates.
“Hunter Goodman, for example, went through three jerseys while catching the other day (Aug. 9). Brett Sullivan went through two,” he said. “Tomoyuki Sugano will go through anywhere from four to seven in a game, so he gave me a heads up early on. Michael Lorenzen went through probably three jerseys the other day (Aug. 9). So if it’s a starting pitcher and I know we’re going to a hot and humid climate like St. Louis, we try to prepare a little more. We’ll make a couple more jerseys of different colors so that we’re good to go.
“In Denver, we don’t deal with the humidity and a lot of places in the Western Division, we don’t deal with humidity a lot, so we don’t tend to change them out,” he continued. “But going east of Denver to St. Louis, Chicago, New York, Boston – I mean, pick any one of those cities – and it’s a different ballgame when you’re keeping guys comfortable while they’re playing.”
Staff operations
And so much of that comes with the help of his staff.
At home, there are seven staff who work under Tiny in the Rockies clubhouse and six in the visitors clubhouse who work under Patrick Gill. Justin Fowler serves as the major league clubhouse coordinator, and he helps with inventory.
“Since I’m on the road right now, (Justin’s) back home taking inventory on things,” Pontarelli said.
“I’ll send him invoices that need to be paid, as well as getting them paid by our finance team upstairs. And we’re tracking our spending. We’re tracking how many bats we’re ordering, how many uniforms we’re ordering and things like that. He helps me track that really well, as well as inventory, and he does a really nice job with helping me pack for the road. We set up zone defense – that’s really Justin’s bread and butter – and he helps manage the staff. He’s at home with them a lot. He’s coaching them through unpack nights while I’m traveling with the team and things like that. We’ll land in Denver, and he’s making sure everyone’s prepared to attack the next home stand. He does a nice job with that.”
And then there are the clubhouse attendants, who help with the minute details.
“I have John McGill, who’s been an absolute pro at making sure our uniforms look good every night. He’s studied chemicals, and he’s really good. He’s been doing it for a long time, and they all work together really well. I’ve got another group of guys who do a lot of collective duties together. When laundry comes out, everybody’s on it. If benches need to be set up, everybody’s on it,” Pontarelli said. “I’ve got guys like Joey Scott, who does a great job of taking care of the coaches’ room and rubbing baseballs before the game. So they each have their own individual things that they do really well, and I try to put them in positions to succeed on things that they do well. And Jordan Leak does a great job running the umpires’ room. So there are certain things that are important that we can’t miss, and a guy like Jordan’s fabulous in there, building relationships with umpires so they know what to expect when they come to town. So it’s a wide scope of things that go on to make sure the game is in a good position and our venue’s in a good position to put on a show.”
But at the end of the day, it’s mostly Pontarelli and Fowler running the day-to-day operations.
“Justin and I are there 12 hours a day at home, and we’re going through everything. When we first land back in Denver for a new home stand, we’re already focused on the following road trip,” he said.
Closing thoughts
I always like to end my interviews by asking the staff their favorite part of their job, their least favorite part, and something surprising.
For Pontarelli, his favorite part is “the relationships I’m able to build with our entire organization, and I love the logistical components.”
“I love months of planning and getting things into the pipeline, and seeing them come to fruition on the field,” he said. “In December, I’m cranking out bat orders and uniform orders and everything else, and then I see this beautiful spring training camp open up and everybody’s suited up. Everybody’s got white pants with purple jerseys on and the catchers are dialed in with their gear. Seeing the whole thing work – seeing the plan come to life – is probably the most rewarding thing for me.”
But the most challenging part is definitely “the hours and the time away from our families.”
“I’ve got my beautiful wife, Ashley, and our two little girls and being away from them is a challenge,” he said. “They’re troopers – Ashley’s a great baseball wife, and they spent all of spring training in Scottsdale with me, which was just wonderful. But being away from the family’s hard, I would say. Just the sheer hours that we’re here every day take a lot of mental strength and physical strength to get through and endure an entire baseball season.”
And the most surprising thing?
“I think (fans) would be shocked to see how many baseballs and bats we go through because baseballs come in on a pallet every month, and we’re going through 144 baseballs a night – 12 dozen baseballs a night – if not more,” he said. “Players are going through (bats). For the average fan, going into spring training, position players get 18 bats and then every month, guys are ordering a dozen or so bats. I mean, we’re pumping through a lot of equipment, so for fans to wrap their minds around that… I don’t know if they understand the sheer volume, but those are things that I always find interesting.”
It truly takes a village to help any sports team run, and Pontarelli has done an excellent job of orchestrating his staff so everything runs as seamlessly as possible. They may not always get the most credit for the hard work they do, but the Rockies truly would not run without the excellent support of their behind-the-scenes staff.
Rockies face crucial questions entering September | Denver Gazette ($)
Today is the last day of August, which means there are just a few short weeks of baseball left. Kevin Henry looks ahead to what questions remain surrounding the Rockies in the remaining weeks: Can the Rockies avoid 100 losses? Is Jordan Beck really part of the future? Can Ezequiel Tovar finish on an upswing? How will the Rockies manage starting pitching innings?
Gambling is everywhere. You can’t avoid it, and prediction markets are starting to creep into professional sports as well. I wrote an article a few years back about Rockies players’ experiences, but Zack Meisel gets much deeper into it across MLB and some of the awful things players have to deal with from fans.
On the Farm
Triple-A:Round Rock Express 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 1
It wasn’t a great day for the Isotopes, as they fell 9-1 to the Round Rock Express (Rangers). They mustered five hits — one from Charlie Condon, two from Conner Capel, one from Jose Cordova and one from Drew Avans. However, they also walked five times and struck out just three. Cordova and Avans were the only ones to record both a hit and a walk. Adael Amador had one walk and Sterlin Thompson (No. 16 PuRP) had two. Roc Riggio (No. 13 PuRP) had two strikeouts, while Thompson had the other. Capel’s home run in the seventh inning ended up being the only run scored by the Topes.
Valente Bellozo started the game for the Topes, allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts over three innings. Patrick Weigel took an early beating, allowing three runs (all earned) on one hit with three walks in just one-third of an inning of work. Mason Green came in to clean up Weigel’s mess and then pitched another inning, walking two with a strikeout across 2.2 innings. Jarrod Cande took the brunt of it, though, allowing five runs (all earned) on five hits with a strikeout in two-third of an inning. The five hits were a single, a one-run double, an RBI single and then a three-run homer. Andrew Baker recorded the final four outs, allowing just one hit.
Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2
The Yard Goats fared better than their upstairs neighbors, beating the Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) handily. Hartford got things going in the third inning when Jimmy Obertop drew a leadoff walk and then GJ Hill moved him over on a sacrifice bunt. Andy Perez grounded out to push him to third, but it didn’t matter where he was, as Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP) smacked a two-run homer to right. The Yard Goats tacked on another run in the seventh, as Dyan Jorge walked and then stole his 50th base. A passed ball allowed him to reach third, and then Obertop reached on a fielding error by the third baseman to score Jorge. Obertop stole second and Hill walked, but Perez struck out and Thomas grouned out to first.
New Hampshire struck back in the bottom half, as Carter Cunningham hit a solo homer to right-center. But then the Goats answered back again in the eighth with a single by Jacob Humphrey, who then stole second, and a walk by Braylen Wimmer. After Zach Kokoska grounded out to advance the runners, Humphrey was able to score on a balk and Jorge hit a sacrifice fly to score Winner. In the ninth, Hill and Perez struck out to start the inning but then Thomas was hit by a pitch and stole second and third. Humphrey walked and stole second, and then Wimmer walked to score Thomas.
In the bottom half, the Cats tried to fight back, but only scored one run after Carter Cunningham walked and was scored by a Cutter Coffey triple. Eric Snow struck out looking to end the game.
Stu Flesland III tossed a gem — six scoreless innings with just four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Fisher Jameson was the one who allowed the two runs over the final three innings on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts, but he earned the three-inning save.
High-A:Vancouver Canadians 4, Spokane Indians 3
Both teams scored early and both teams’ bats fell silent after the fifth inning. The Indians got the scoring started in the third when Tommy Hopfe hit a solo homer to right. They piled on in the fourth after Ethan Hedges and Tanner Thach got out to start the inning, but then Robert Calaz (No. 26 PuRP) and Alan Espinal singled and were scored by Clayton Gray. Unfortunately, though, that was the end of the scoring for the Indians.
In the bottom half of the fourth, Ryan Sprock homered to put the Canadians on the board. In the fifth, Maxxox Latta homered to lead off the inning and Jaxson West singled. After two quick outs, JoJo Parker singled and scored alongside West after Jake Casey doubled. Sprock flew out to end the inning, and the scoring. There were only five baserunners in the later innings — two for the Canadians and three for the Indians — but none came around to score.
Everett Catlett got the start for the Indians, pitching five innings while allowing four runs (all earned) on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Austin Emener threw one inning and struck out a batter, while Luke Hansel threw two innings while walking two and striking out one.
Low-A:Inland Empire 66ers 10, Fresno Grizzlies 5
The Grizzlies were also unsuccessful in their search of a win against the 66ers (Mariners). Just like their older brothers, the Grizzlies struck first, but most of their action was in the later innings. Daniel Jackson kicked things off when he reached on an error by 66ers’ first baseman Starlin Aguilar in the second inning. Jack Natili grounded out to advance Jackson, and then Juan Martinez doubled to move him to third. A passed ball allowed Jackson to score, but then Ashly Andujar (No. 30 PuRP) and Ryan Niedzwiedz struck out to end the inning.
In the second inning, Estevan Moreno homered to tie the game. Nick Becker singled, and then was driven home by an Aguilar double. In the third, Hayden Yost struck out but then back-to-back walks led to a ground-rule double to tack on a run and then an RBI groundout scored the second to make the score 4-1.
In the fourth, Jackson hit his fourth homer to cut the lead in half, 4-2. But in the fifth, Jake Brown walked and stole second before being driven home by a double from Moreno. A passed ball allowed Moreno to advance to third, and then Becker walked and stole second before he and Moreno were scored by an Aguilar single to make the score 7-2.
An RBI groundout by Landyn Vidourek (HM PuRP) in the seventh made the score 7-3, but then a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning by Aguilar made is 9-3. Natili homered in the eighth, but then Dervy Ventura homered in the bottom. Niedzwiedz tripled to lead off the ninth and then Carlos Renzullo singled to score him, but that was it.
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