The attitude for winning in altitude

This week's edition of the mlb.com Statcast Podcast featured a guest appearance by Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich. Hosts Mike Petriello and Matt Meyers asked questions about the Rockies unique challenge of winning consistently in altitude, and a myriad factors that included fastball-oriented pitchers, spin rates, roster flexibility, how deep starting pitchers go into a game, and even two-way players.

I've known Petriello since my days doing the Dodgers pre- and post-game radio work, when his old Dodgers blog, Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, caught my attention and became a must-visit every day. Petriello brings a thoughtful approach to his writing. It's both analytical and common sense. I've learned a lot reading him over the years, and so I was excited that he's doing a podcast.

Combine that with an interview with the GM of the Isotopes major-league affiliate, and of course I'm going to listen to see what nuggets pertain to us in Albuquerque. What I've learned about Bridich is that he keeps information very close to the vest. He's not interested in giving away any secrets or making sure the public understands everything he's trying to do for the Rockies. I respect that. So it's not a ground-breaking interview, but I'd recommend it anyway.

Here's a few bullet-point items that relate to the Topes:

* The more you play in altitude, the more understanding you have of it. Bridich values the time spent at triple-A for players. This reinforces what we heard this when the Rockies left Colorado Springs and came to Albuquerque. It's also an indication the Rockies won't promote players from double-A very often. We'll see them at triple-A.

* Roster flexibility is extremely important at Coors Field. Most teams carry 12 pitchers and occasionally 13. The Rockies utilize 13 pitchers more frequently than others and it's not necessarily excessive for them. This is an indication that we'll continue to see Isotopes players move around multiple infield and outfield positions on a regular basis. That means the Topes might not have the best defense every night because players are getting comfortable at multiple positions, so they are better prepared for the majors.

* Petriello is a proponent of starting pitchers getting removed before they go a third time through the lineup and asked Bridich if that philosophy is something the Rockies share. Bridich didn't really bite either way. Overall, he felt putting the lion's share of the responsibility on either part of the pitching staff is unfair. Bridich mentioned that at the lower levels of the minor leagues, innings are controlled. But at the higher levels, like the Topes, it seems like he'd like to see them go through a lineup three times if possible.

* Meyers asked a question about a topic I've explored during broadcasts, pregame interviews, and even wrote in the late 1990s as a newspaper reporter when a young Mark Mulder was close to the majors: somebody who pitches and hits on a regular basis. El Paso utilized hitter-turned-pitcher Jason Lane as a pinch hitter regularly in the games he didn't start on the mound the last two years. Outfielder Jeremy Barfield told me last year, after his dominant two innings on the mound, that he'd rather fail as a hitter than succeed as a pitcher -- but he was open to the idea of being used as a situational lefty reliever, as long as he gets to keep hitting. The two-way player concept was tried by the Brewers with Brooks Kieschnick in the early 2000s. Bridich said it's hard enough to reach the majors in any role, let alone stay in the majors, that it would take a truly special athlete to pull off both roles. Bridich added there's a couple players in the Rockies system who could possibly do it, that it's an intriguing concept, but he'd have to give it a lot more thought.

* The Rockies recent acquisition of relief pitchers who throw their fastball overwhelmingly more often than any other pitch was also discussed at length on the podcast. They didn't discuss the minors within this topic. But on a personal level, I'll consciously pay more attention to see if Topes pitchers throw their fastball more often in altitude than at sea level this season. This is probably a dumb idea because you want hard data, not my perception while giving a live read about O'Reilly Auto Parts, but we'll see if any trends are noticeable. [Or I'll forget by Opening Day.]