{"id":679965,"date":"2026-04-20T20:15:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679965\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:15:51","slug":"rockies-early-success-validates-warren-schaeffer-hire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679965\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockies\u2019 Early Success Validates Warren Schaeffer Hire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">After three weeks of the regular season, and just ten days away from April coming to a close, there are already concerns for managers on the verge of being in the hot seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">The Colorado Rockies are not even considering putting their manager, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rockies\/onsi\/news\/warren-schaeffer-defends-rockies-decision-to-send-down-charlie-condon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Warren Schaeffer,<\/a> in that situation just yet. It\u2019s his first full season as the skipper, and he deserves a chance to lead this team.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>New Managers Should Get At Least Three Years\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpp1kv1varmp2kztkj.jpg\" alt=\"Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer \" title=\"Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer \" width=\"2923\" height=\"1644\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6y\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland is removed from the game by manager Warren Schaeffer  | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">When it comes to firing a coach or mentioning the name in the media or any news outlet, it can cause a major distraction. We haven\u2019t been hearing anything negative to that extent about Schaeffer. If anything, we are seeing positive results because the Rockies are making headlines for the right reasons, once again, after this weekend.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">Colorado won back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which no other team has done this season. A team that won back-to-back World Series titles with a stacked roster lost back-to-back to a team that finished last in the division last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Rockies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#Rockies<\/a> have won 6 of their last 7 games at home.<\/p>\n<p>All 6 wins came against the Dodgers, Astros, and Phillies. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JiLTePYrCJ\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/JiLTePYrCJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 DNVR Rockies (@DNVR_Rockies) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DNVR_Rockies\/status\/2046000696252862895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">Schaeffer, 41, is one of the reasons why the Rockies were able to accomplish goals this weekend. His decision-making and ability to inspire his players to play hard and smart became key ingredients. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7e\">Schaeffer also had his players, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rockies\/onsi\/kyle-karros-hitting-homers-rockies-against-dad-s-former-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle Karros<\/a> step up offensively. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rockies\/onsi\/news\/rockies-mickey-moniak-mesmerizing-weekend-series-performance\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mickey Moniak <\/a>and Edouard Julien combined for 5-for-10 with 6 RBIs on Sunday afternoon. It takes a little bit of everything and everyone to bring a victory to the franchise.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7h\">We are living in a time in sports when front-office personnel don\u2019t have enough patience for coaches and managers. It\u2019s disheartening and unfair to fire a coach or manager after one season. Not everything can be solved in one year. For any manager coming to a new team, they should be given at least three years to see if the team makes progress. A manager can only do so much.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\">When a manager sticks around for a few seasons, it fosters greater familiarity and camaraderie between the manager and the player. Players need a structure and consistent voice in the clubhouse. Schaeffer is not an elite manager yet. He\u2019s only getting started. The front office should continue to put their full trust in him, especially if the team continues to surprise us with the victories they\u2019ve been having lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rockies Making Strides in 2026<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\">In addition, the Rockies are in a much better position than last season at this point. The Rockies are 9-13. Yes, they\u2019re tied with the San Francisco Giants for last place in the division. However, the Rockies didn\u2019t reach nine wins until May 23rd of last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7t\">In the 2025 campaign, the Rockies\u2019 pitching staff was the worst in MLB.  So far in 2026, the new and updated staff holds a 4.14 team ERA, which ranks No. 19 in MLB. The team&#8217;s WHIP is 1.39 with 193.1 innings pitched. The improvements go all the way across the line.  <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7w\">When judging Schaeffer and his success so far, one would be lacking if run differential wasn\u2019t considered.  Colorado was the laughing stock of MLB in 2025 when they finished the season with a -424.  That was the worst of any team since 1900.  <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7z\"> So far this season, the team has a -10 run differential.  It\u2019s early in the year, but that is a massive improvement and certainly worth noting. Schaeffer, the entire coaching staff, and the front office have to recognize their strides so far.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udfe3NL West Standings\ud83d\udfe3<\/p>\n<p>The Rox did not reach 9 wins until May 23rd last year. Their record was 9-42\ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cfUmrejRm0\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/cfUmrejRm0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SleeperRockies (@SleeperRockies) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SleeperRockies\/status\/2046229490830045496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"85\">The Rockies are looking to make it three in a row against the Dodgers today, which will be a top headline for tomorrow\u2019s baseball news.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After three weeks of the regular season, and just ten days away from April coming to a close,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":679966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2405],"tags":[5,167,52,4316,4,168],"class_list":{"0":"post-679965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colorado-rockies","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-colorado","10":"tag-colorado-rockies","11":"tag-coloradorockies","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-rockies"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116438879672858404","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}