Paul DePodesta, the Moneyball pioneer who revolutionized baseball analytics, has returned to the sport after a decade in the NFL to tackle one of its most daunting challenges: making the Colorado Rockies competitive at mile-high altitude. The 53-year-old former Cleveland Browns executive was hired as Rockies president of baseball operations in November, replacing longtime GM Bill Schmidt.

DePodesta's return comes after the Rockies endured three consecutive 100-loss seasons and posted baseball's worst run differential since the 19th century. He's implementing sweeping changes including expanding the analytics department and adding multiple pitching coaches to provide individualized training. His philosophy centers on embracing Denver's elevation as an advantage rather than a hindrance.

The former Oakland Athletics executive left baseball in 2016 for the NFL but missed baseball's player development aspects and representative sample sizes. He sees the Rockies' altitude challenge as uniquely solvable compared to other structural problems teams face. While acknowledging no single person can fix the franchise, DePodesta is eager to apply his innovative approach to what he calls 'one of the more interesting challenges' in sports.