Happy in Rockies front office, Clint Hurdle would manage again only via 'act of God'

Clint Hurdle has had two opportunities since leaving Pittsburgh to put on an MLB uniform again, first as hitting coach with the San Diego Padres soon after the Pirates fired him in 2019 and a bench coach with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.

He decided not to take either job, but he’s been back in the game for four seasons as Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Colorado Rockies.

“I think everybody would feel more comfortable if I just showed up in khakis and a Hawaiian shirt,” he said.

He said his job entails putting “my eyes on our player development program.”

He travels from coast to coast and to the Dominican Republic, looking at young players on the Rockies’ minor-league teams in Scottsdale, Ariz., Fresno, Calif., Spokane, Wash., Hartford, Conn., and Albuquerque, N.M. He also spends a week with Rockies scouts before the draft and visits several colleges and high schools looking for talent.

He said part of his job is mentoring young coaches and managers.

“I take somebody to lunch almost every day,” he said. “If somebody looks like they’re a little off or a little lonely or looks a little homesick, I try to plug in there because I’ve been all of it pretty much.”

The job also allows him plenty of welcome time at home in Florida with his family.

His daughter Maddie, 23, was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Hurdle is the national spokesperson for the PWS Association, and he and his wife, Karla, will hold their 11th annual Hot Stove Dinner to support the cause March 22 at the Bradenton Country Club in Bradenton, Fla.

Would he ever consider managing again?

“It would take an act of God. The right people, the right place at the right time, I would consider it,” he said.

Hurdle still follows baseball in general, especially the Rangers, Pirates, Rockies and Royals (teams he played and worked for in his career).

“There are still people working there that I love,” he said.

He also noted that Mitch Keller, Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds are the only players he managed in Pittsburgh still with the team six years later.

Hurdle also has a unique perspective on Pirates pitching ace Paul Skenes, who he said has “a generational arm.” Hurdle was a catcher for the New York Mets in 1985 when Dwight Gooden was a 21-year-old Cy Young Award winner.

“I’ve seen this Haley’s Comet come by before,” he said.

“I love the makeup of the guy (Skenes). I love his old-school values. He seems to be a learner, a good teammate. I love to watch him pitch. I love to watch him compete. His stuff is special. He challenges people. He has that fifth gear with the fastball. He’s got spin. He’s got deception.”