Bill Schmidt named Athletics’ special assistant to scouting

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics hired former Colorado Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt as the club’s special assistant to the scouting department, the team announced Friday.

Schmidt was appointed senior vice president and general manager of the Rockies in October 2021 and served four seasons in the role. He joined the Rockies in 1999 and served as vice president of scouting dating to 2007.

Before joining the Rockies, Schmidt served as a national crosschecker with Cleveland (1995-99) and as a supervisor of the Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada regions for the Yankees (1988-95).

He also worked for the MLB Scouting Bureau from 1987-88 and began his scouting career with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 1980s.

Schmidt was named the 2019 West Coast Scout of the Year and was bestowed the Legends in Scouting Award.

The A’s relocated to West Sacramento, California, last year to play the first of three planned seasons in the city’s Triple-A ballpark before moving into a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

A $2 billion, 33,000-capacity stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is under construction. Club officials told the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Dec. 4 that the ballpark is on schedule to open in time for the 2028 season.