Colorado Rockies: Bud Black Interested in Manager Opening
By Tim Haberin
Veteran skipper Bud Black may have missed out on the Braves job, but he has reportedly expressed interest in the Colorado Rockies opening.
Former Padres manager Bud Black is interested in the Colorado Rockies managerial vacancy, according to The Denver Post. The Rockies dismissed former skipper Walt Weiss last week after four seasons leading the club.
Black, who was fired by San Diego during the 2015 season, is one of the more recognizable and prominent names among the current crop of managerial candidates making the rounds. He was reportedly a serious contender for the Atlanta Braves job, but they elected to keep interim manager Brian Snitker in the role on a permanent basis.
While it’s not exactly earth-shattering news that an out-of-work manager would be eyeing an open position, there is reason to think Black could be a fit in Colorado. As Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post points out, Black’s background is in pitching, an area where the Rockies have seemingly always struggled. This year Rockies starters posted a 4.79 ERA (19th in MLB) while the bullpen sputtered to a league-worst 5.13 mark.
Of course, you could argue that the Rockies’ mound woes have less to do with coaching and instruction, and everything to do with Coors Field itself. That thin mountain air isn’t going anywhere, so the franchise will have to rebuild its pitching staff in spite of it. Colorado has a few intriguing arms in the minor league pipeline, such as Jeff Hoffman (MLB.com’s #34 overall prospect) and Riley Pint, this year’s first round draft pick. The organization might envision them flourishing under Black’s guidance, along with current major league arms like Jon Gray and Tyler Chatwood.
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Black steered the Friars to an overall 649-713 (.477) record during his nine seasons at the helm. The team’s best year under his watch came in 2010 when they won 90 games and finished second in the NL West. He won the Manager of the Year award for his efforts that season. Before taking the Padres job, Black spent seven years as a highly-regarded pitching coach with the Angels. At the moment he is serving as a special adviser to Angels GM Billy Eppler.
As per The Denver Post, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich has mentioned Triple-A skipper and 13-year big league veteran Glenallen Hill as a potential internal candidate. Braves first base coach Eddie Perez is apparently also on the radar.
Colorado finished the 2016 campaign at 75-87, 12 games out of a Wild Card spot. They hung around at the edges of the playoff race, however, coming to within three games back as late as August 6. A stronger display down the stretch could have made things interesting. The squad also underperformed its Pythagorean win-loss record by a full five games.
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Whoever takes over as the next manager of the Rockies will be aiming to push more from the roster in 2017. But that will also depend on the course set by the front office this offseason, including what they do with key players like star outfielder (and frequent subject of trade rumors) Carlos Gonzalez.