On Oct. 1, 2018, the Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers played Game 163 at Chavez Ravine to determine which of the teams, who were tied atop the National League West, would win the division. The Dodgers won that game 5-2, keeping the Rockies from winning their first division crown.

Since that day, the franchises have gone in dramatically different directions. While the Rockies suffered through an MLB-high 119 losses this season, the Dodgers begin the World Series on Friday in Toronto against the Blue Jays, looking to win their second consecutive title and third of this decade.

As the Dodgers prepare to defend their crown, the Rockies are staring at one of the biggest moments in recent franchise history as the search for the new leader of the front office narrows. Whether it’s general manager or president of baseball operations or whatever title is bestowed upon him, the person hired to replace Bill Schmidt will be tasked with not only rebuilding the major league roster in Denver but also bulking up the farm system as well.

In August, Colorado’s farm system was ranked by MLB.com 24th out of MLB’s 30 teams. Only two prospects (shortstop Ethan Holliday at No. 17 and first baseman/outfielder Charlie Condon at No. 60) were among the top 100 MLB prospects, another potentially worrying sign for a Rockies’ turnaround.

It is the farm system where the Rockies can learn valuable lessons from the Dodgers, said Drew Goodman, who has been the television play-by-play voice for the Rockies since 2002. Goodman looks to the Dodgers’ roster this season as an example of what can be done to build a contender.

“I think it’s a misnomer to think that you can buy your way to a World Series,” Goodman told The Denver Gazette. “Can you make things a whole lot easier from a depth standpoint or from a front-line standpoint if you have deep pockets? Absolutely. No one is going to refute that.

“There will be a lot of focus on the Dodgers over the next 10 or so days, and the Dodgers, for all their spending, they have, year-in and year-out, if not the best, one of the best farm systems in baseball. Every team that spends, from the (New York) Mets, (New York) Yankees, Dodgers and on down, needs to have a strong draft-and-develop philosophy, sign internationally and develop within the organization to fill out the roster.”

Goodman pointed out the Dodgers have paid sizable amounts for Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and others who entered the organization through free agency or trades. However, they also have players like catcher Will Smith, outfielder Andy Pages and future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw as homegrown talent. Bringing those types of impact players into the system and molding them into MLB-caliber players who can make an immediate impact must be an area of focus for the Rockies, Goodman said.

“The Rockies have to improve in that area — and not just in the North American draft, but in how they sign and how they scout in Latin America as well,” Goodman said. “They have done nothing in the Pacific Rim. You’re probably not going to get the Shohei Ohtani-level player to come to Denver, but are there relievers? Are there maybe second-tier players who can have an impact from the Pacific Rim that could be candidates to sign?

“I don’t think you should leave a stone unturned. And I think that whoever the individual or individuals who are tasked with now running the baseball operations side of things, that will be of the utmost importance to them moving forward in terms of how the Rockies go about their business in player development.”

It’s a big task with international components. Goodman believes — once the Rockies have made their front-office decision — the quest to make Rocktober a realistic possibility again begins in earnest.

“I don’t think you can overstate the importance of not only who the individual is, but what he is tasked with doing, which sounds like completely overhauling the Rockies baseball operations and how they’ve gone about their business the last multitude of years,” Goodman said. “This is going to be a quantum change, so I don’t think you can overstate its importance.”