One could make the argument that firing Bud Black in May really made little difference in the trajectory of the season of the 2025 Colorado Rockies.
When Black was fired Colorado was 7-33. His bench coach, Warren Schaeffer, was installed as the interim manager. He led the Rockies to a 36-86 record. The best thing you can say about Schaeffer is that he was able to guide the Rockies to a season in which they did not set a new Major League record for most losses in a season. The 121 losses of the Chicago White Sox in 2024 remains the game’s gold standard for ineptitude.
But it also saddled Schaeffer with a record that will be it hard for him to argue that he should be named the full-time manager in 2026. In many ways, the grade of both Black and Schaeffer is tied to the front office, which will have a new general manager for next season after Bill Schmidt stepped aside after the season.
So, how culpable are the pair for the Rockies losing 119 games? That’s an interesting question.
Grading Black and Schaeffer