{"id":693512,"date":"2026-06-09T13:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/693512\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:09:14","slug":"colorado-rockies-news-steven-baumann-finds-unique-ways-to-help-rockies-prospects-transition-to-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/693512\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Rockies news: Steven Baumann finds unique ways to help Rockies prospects transition to the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a brief hiatus, our series about the Rockies Cultural Education & Development program returns (you can read the other installments here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>)! This time, I interviewed Steven Baumann, who teaches at the Arizona Complex League. I also observed his postgame class on Saturday, June 6th, where the players were working on post-game interview practice. <\/p>\n

Steven Baumann is the newest teacher in the Colorado Rockies Cultural Education & Development Program, having been hired in March 2025. He has the unique job of working with the Arizona Complex League, which consists mostly of Latin American players who are coming to the United States for the first time until the MLB Draft in July. But Baumann has fit right in and ensures students are getting what they need out of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeirdly enough, I feel like all of my teaching career has led to this,\u201d Baumann said in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started teaching about 15 years ago in New York City, and even before that I taught abroad in China.I taught English, and in New York City, my students were predominantly from Latin America and the Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baumann taught in the New York City Public Schools until 2016, when he went back to graduate school and pursued higher education until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. During that time, he decided he wanted to return to the classroom and moved to Phoenix in 2022 to teach at Phoenix Country Day School \u2013 a private school in the Paradise Valley area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives me a lot of creativity and freedom as a teacher, and I\u2019m allowed to offer a bunch of cool electives. I have really academically inclined students who are looking to go to some of the best colleges in the US, but I still kind of miss that energy. And so I\u2019m always looking for fun opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those fun opportunities came in the form of teaching English for the Rockies at the local Arizona Complex League.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw this job posted last year, I was honestly shocked because I\u2019d never really seen anything like it,\u201d Baumann recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d not been in the big sports business market, and I just read the post that Angel [Amparo] had written and was like, \u2018Wow, actually everything fits. \u2018I\u2019ve worked with this population. I\u2019ve taught English before. I\u2019m a local in Phoenix. I have a lot of flexibility in terms of hours, especially during the summer . . . .\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I started getting really excited, and when I went through the interview process, I just got more and more excited until it culminated in the demo lesson,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd in the demo lesson, I met a bunch of players, and I just thought right away that I felt like home in the classroom with these guys. I understood exactly what they were trying to get out of it, and kind of how they felt towards it. These are very mission-driven individuals \u2013 not too different from the students I teach at Phoenix Country Day School \u2013 but they have a different mission, and they\u2019re also trying to adapt to this totally new world, which I felt strangely qualified to help them do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Steven<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Baumann in his classroom teaching \u201cEnglish for Baseball Professionals\u201d Credit: Steven Baumann<\/p>\n

While Paul Worley teaches virtually<\/a> since he\u2019s based in North Carolina and teaches Spokane Indians players, Baumann teaches a hybrid schedule. On Wednesdays, they do virtual classes where they are split into breakout rooms based on ability, and on Saturdays, they meet in-person as a culmination of the work they did on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

I was able to observe one of the classes this past Saturday, where the players were working on post-game interview skits. There were about 27 of them, and they were split into groups of six. Each group was given a script of different scenarios to act out \u2014 a good game, a bad game, and a cancelled game \u2014 and they played the roles of reporter and player.<\/p>\n

They had about five minutes to practice \u2013 as they\u2019d worked on the scripts on Wednesday in the smaller groups \u2013 and then they went up to perform in front of their peers with the script behind them so everyone could read along. This allowed them to not only see what kinds of questions might come from reporters, but also practice different responses. It also helped them with tenses (namely simple present and simple past) as well as question words (\u201cWhat happened during the game? Why was it cancelled? How do you feel about your performance?\u201d).<\/p>\n

Additionally, the energy was off the charts. It helped that they had beaten the ACL Diamondbacks 1-0 not even an hour before, but all of the players were very engaged and supportive of each other performing these skits. There were also a few who were brave enough to be interviewed before or after class \u2013 not necessarily for an article yet, but just to practice being interviewed by a real reporter.<\/p>\n

All of this goes to show the trust and the rapport that Baumann has established with his cohort of players in such a short time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew right away, as I entered the classroom, that you have to build that trust and you have to show them that, \u2018I\u2019m here for you 100%. You guys give me direction and what you need.\u2019 And I wanted to be very responsive to them, so I was trying to build that trust and build those relationships right away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest ways that Baumann has cultivated trust is by attending ACL games as much as he can and seeing his students in action.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey really love having someone in the crowd there,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re very cognizant of the fact that American players playing in colleges are playing in front of these packed houses. I\u2019m an alum of LSU, and thousands of people are going to those games, so these guys kind of have a chip on their shoulder a little bit because they\u2019re playing when it\u2019s 110 degrees out and there\u2019s no one out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I would go and show up to the games, but I didn\u2019t do it as much last time because my wife was pregnant. But now that we\u2019ve had a child, I\u2019m hoping to go to many more games this season,\u201d he continued. \u201cSeeing those players there \u2013 seeing them in the classroom and then seeing them on the field and them coming up to me and saying, \u2018Hello. How are you doing today?\u2019 and practicing their English while they\u2019re in their game day environment \u2013 was such a highlight for me, and knowing that they\u2019re taking these lessons outside of the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The ACL Rockies take on the ACL Diamondbacks on June 6, 2026. RF Alessander De La Cruz (#20) is batting and 3B Eriel Dihigo (#0) stands in the on deck circle. Credit: Samantha Bradfield<\/p>\n

And while Baumann is used to teaching school-aged children, he has had to be adaptable to the different stakes of teaching professional athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pride myself on having good adaptability,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought it was one of my personal and professional strengths, and this job has tested me in ways that I didn\u2019t expect because I\u2019m in contact with the coaches, I\u2019m in contact with Angel Amparo, I\u2019m in contact with the other teachers and the players move around a lot \u2013 guys get cut, guys get moved up, guys get injured \u2013 and that significantly changes the feeling of every class.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a wonderful class this Saturday (May 2nd),\u201d he continued. \u201cThey beat the ACL Angels 4-0 in their home opener, and Ronnie Ugarte hit a home run. He was just beaming in class. But those situations change, when they hit slumps or a player\u2019s not getting playing time. So these are things that, as teachers, we\u2019re used to in the classroom. Kids have their ups and downs. But in the baseball world, I think they\u2019re just a little bit more unpredictable and the gravity is higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

But like Worley, Baumann makes sure that his lessons have practical use to the players, even beyond baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my first practical exams last year was just meeting me at Starbucks and talking through, \u2018What do you see on the menus? How would you order water?\u2019 because even the concept of going into a private business and getting free water from Starbucks doesn\u2019t always make sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to help them both by exposing them to those situations \u2013 getting them out of the classroom a little bit and taking them, whether it\u2019s a simple trip to Starbucks or something bigger than that \u2013 and also adapting the curriculum so it has things like, \u2018How do you interact with an Uber driver who just wants to talk your ear off?\u2019 because these guys, especially in Arizona, have to be very conscious of how they act and how they present themselves, especially recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cultivating classroom culture<\/p>\n

One of the things that Baumann also does differently than the other levels is cultivate an in-person classroom experience. Even though these players all move together as a cohort, they still have to work together and are competing with each other for jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re each coming from very different situations,\u201d he said. \u201cThe group really has a nice diversity of experience, and just watching how they watch each other and how they kind of coach and teach each other. And so I really try to press the guys who have a little more know-how and who have a little bit more ability to get around into those baseball roles, and having those conversations of, \u2018After baseball, do you want to be a leader? Because right now, these guys are looking to you for advice because you speak English a little bit better.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s a message I try to hammer home over and over again, because ultimately, they\u2019re with those guys and they\u2019re with the coaches way more than me, so the more I can reaffirm that, \u2018You\u2019ve got a helper in class, too. You don\u2019t always need to go to me and that\u2019s not necessarily a competitor,\u2019\u201d he continued. \u201cBecause I think by default, though they are teammates, they are competing for the same positions so there are rivalries in there. But I\u2019ve been trying to push on those leaders, definitely last year and this year again. Whether it\u2019s Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP<\/a>) just showing up to every class right on time and ready to learn and then saying, \u2018Oh, look. He\u2019s in Fresno!\u2019 And that kind of thing. There\u2019s that solid core for each group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with administration<\/p>\n

Just like in a K-12 classroom, Baumann still has to work with his fellow educators. But instead of it being the math teacher, the social studies teacher, the music teacher and the principal, he is working with other English teachers in other parts of the country and Major League Baseball coaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in frequent communication, just to see where the players are moving and what\u2019s happening,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery once in a while, a player has to go back to the Dominican Republic or Venezuela or whatnot, and I have to be in communication with them multiple times throughout the week. There\u2019s not ever a time between a class where I\u2019m not talking to Freddie Ocasio, the coach of the ACL team, and I\u2019m talking to Angel every single day basically.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as far as the other teachers go, Baumann said they\u2019ve \u201cgot a group chat going, and we have the shared files on Google Drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy philosophy is to just be totally open to everything,\u201d he continued \u201cso as soon as I started creating content, as soon as I started creating stuff, I\u2019m throwing it on the Google Drive. I\u2019m sharing it with my co-teachers. Paul has this great interview activity, so he\u2019s sharing that with me and we talk about adapting it for the younger group. And Yulonn [Harris] has the app she\u2019s developing. So they were very open, and I\u2019m very open, so every document I create, every slideshow I create, every activity I do, I throw it on the Google Drive and if it goes really well, I share it with them. They\u2019ve really responded, and I think just that openness has really made me feel like I\u2019m part of the team right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Baumann\u2019s favorite lesson? It involves baseball cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite activity is one that\u2019s near and dear to my heart because my dad was a baseball card collector and he\u2019s cleaning out his garage and has been giving me these sets of, like, Topps 1969, Topps 1970 and Topps 1990. So he collected when he was a kid, and then he collected a little bit when I was a child. He\u2019s been handing over all these card sets, and there are hundreds of cards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what I do is I\u2019ll bring those baseball cards to our class, because a lot of these players are a lot younger than I am so they don\u2019t have the same baseball history as someone that grew up in the United States. They all know these cards exist \u2013 they\u2019re signing cards and doing all that stuff for the modern stuff \u2013 but to look at how players presented themselves in the past and what kind of information was pertinent, and to get familiar with the teams and the language and the history of MLB,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019ll pass out the cards, and they\u2019ll do an interview from that player\u2019s perspective. Sometimes I\u2019ll give them a deck of cards and they\u2019ll have to build a lineup, and I\u2019ll say, \u2018Who did you choose for left field? Why is that guy better than someone else?\u2019 And obviously they\u2019re looking for the Latin players, and there\u2019s not a lot. Even back as early as 1990, they\u2019re like, \u2018Teacher, why are all these guys white?\u2019 So bringing in those historical artifacts of MLB has been a lot of fun, and that\u2019s why I liked cards when I was young. You could just stare at them and get all the stats. How much does he weigh? Where is he from? It\u2019s really good for practicing question words.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

A view of Baumann\u2019s classroom at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Credit: Steven Baumann<\/p>\n

Balancing two worlds and closing thoughts<\/p>\n

Baumann has the unique opportunity because he lives where he teaches, which also presents the challenge of balancing both his day job and his side gig, especially when things first start up during extended spring training and overlap at the end of the spring semester.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been challenging, especially given that I now have a nine-month-old, but this is one of the things that I\u2019ve really developed over the years of teaching: I really don\u2019t bring work home from my other job, so I\u2019m able to separate the worlds and be totally present when I\u2019m there and maximize my time. So on Saturdays, when I\u2019m in between classes, I\u2019m building that next class so there\u2019s not really one wasted moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then the other thing is I combine things whenever I have a chance,\u201d he continued. \u201cI was able to bring my parents and my son \u2013 at the time, he was only five months old \u2013 down to the field during spring training. And Julio Medina was there from the Dominican Republic with the guys who were coming to the US. So whenever two worlds meet, it\u2019s really, really rewarding and I\u2019m hoping in the future to do some crossovers with PCDS and meet some players that are playing baseball at the high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with the challenges come the rewards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just have a tremendous amount of gratitude for this happening and for my coworkers,\u201d Baumann said. \u201cAngel really has taught me a lot about being a professional and communicating and surrounding players with people like this. It\u2019s really wholesome for a pro sports organization to do, and I genuinely feel that they\u2019re giving these guys the best shot \u2013 both professionally, that they can make it in the big leagues, but also with an empathy that I wouldn\u2019t expect from a big sports organization to have. And I tell the players this in class: whatever happens on the baseball field, if you put 100% in these classes and in these relationships that you\u2019re developing, you have a home for life with the Colorado Rockies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arizona Complex League: ACL Rockies 7, ACL Diamondbacks 5<\/a><\/p>\n

The ACL Dbacks got out to an early lead, but the ACL Rockies came on late to seal the victory. The Dbacks scored one run in each of the first four innings, but the Rockies scored two runs in the fourth and sixth, plus three in the eighth. The Dbacks scored once in the bottom of the eighth, but it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

Alessander De La Cruz got things going with an RBI single in the fourth, and Jose De La Cruz singled to score Alessander. In the fourth, Kamuel Villar doubled, and Eriel Dihigo singled to tie the game at four apiece. Dihigo singled to score A. De La Cruz in the eighth, and Dariel Garcia singled to score Villar to run up the score 7-4.<\/p>\n

Ismael Luciano was the only Rockies pitcher to not give up a run in his two innings (though Wilmis Paulino\u2019s run was unearned). Eliezer Pena pitched three innings to start the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Odarlin Cruz then relieved him, allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout in two innings.<\/p>\n

Feltner building argument for being Rockies\u2019 top starter | MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n

In two starts back with the Colorado Rockies after recovering from right ulnar nerve inflammation, RHP Ryan Feltner has shined, tossing 12 innings and just allowing one run with two total walks and six total strikeouts. Feltner has always shown flashes of success, but has often been derailed by injuries himself. If he can remain healthy in 2026, he has the potential to stabilize a reeling rotation.<\/p>\n

\u2019Super scary\u2019: Freeman OK after taking 98.2 mph off the helmet from Misiorowski | MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n

A scary moment on Saturday night saw Tyler Freeman take a pitch square off his helmet. He walked off the field lucid, but it\u2019s still a sight nobody wants to see. While he didn\u2019t directly talk to the media after the game, Thomas Harding was able to talk to Warren Schaeffer and some teammates about what happened. Troy Johnston offered an unorthodox solution: \u201cThey were talking about amputating his head, but I think they advised against that. Other than that, he\u2019s fine, seems in good spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rockies hope top prospect Roldy Brito is at forefront of a future with fewer strikeouts | Denver Post ($)<\/a><\/p>\n

Roldy Brito (No 11 PuRP<\/a>) had a breakout year in 2025 and was named MVP of the Arizona Complex League. In 2026, he is playing with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies and lighting the world on fire, slashing .329\/.369\/.509 in 52 games. Brito has also gone 9-for-15 in stolen base attempts. Kyle Newman spoke with Brito and Rockies farm director Chris Forbes about his future in the organization and the new prospect archetype he might represent.<\/p>\n

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