The Rockies have agreed to a one-year contract extension with manager Bud Black, the team announced. The deal will keep Black in Colorado for the 2025 season, which will be his ninth with the club. In additional Rockies news, the team also revealed that they have parted ways with bullpen coach Reid Cornelius and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere.
Black is the winningest manager in Rockies history and the only manager to lead the team to consecutive postseason appearances (2017-18). However, both of those accomplishments come with an asterisk; the Rockies are 537-657 (.450) under Black’s leadership, and they have not reached the playoffs in seven years. The team’s failures certainly cannot be attributed to Black alone, but it is still unusual to see a manager stick around so long with so little success. Only four other managers have been with their current clubs at least as long as Black has been with the Rockies, and all four of them – Kevin Cash (Rays), Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Brian Snitker (Braves), and Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks) – have had significantly more recent success than Black.
Nonetheless, the Rockies expressed confidence in Black, with general manager Bill Schmidt stating, “We believe this team is heading in the right direction” and praising his manager’s “skills, experience, and knowledge” in a recent press release. Considering those comments, one might think the Rockies would want to give Black a longer-term deal. After all, managers on expiring contracts are typically seen as lame ducks. In Black’s case, however, this is yet another one-year deal; he also signed single-year contracts entering 2022, ’23, and ’24. Reporter Nick Groke once described the skipper as being “on a rolling year-to-year contract.” It’s possible the unique contract situation is just as much for Black’s benefit as Colorado’s, giving him the chance to walk away after every season.
The Rockies finished the 2024 season 61-101, the worst record in the National League and the second-worst record in MLB. Some promising young players took big steps forward – namely Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar – but this team is still far off from being taken seriously as a contender. After so many losing seasons in a row, plenty of fans would surely love to see a shakeup in the dugout, but practically speaking, it’s hard to imagine a new manager would make much of a difference in 2025.
Before joining the Rockies ahead of the 2017 season, Black managed the Padres from 2007-15. He went 649-713 (.477), leading the team to just a pair of winning seasons in nine years. In the second of those winning seasons (2010), he was named NL manager of the year. Prior to his managerial career, Black was the pitching coach for the Angels from 2000-06, winning a World Series with the club in 2002.
Cornelius and Pilittere both joined the Rockies coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season. Following the conclusion of his playing career in 2000, Cornelius worked as a coach in the Marlins minor league system from 2003-09. In 2010, he took over as the bullpen coach for the big league club, a role he held until 2016. After a brief stint coaching in the Braves minor league system, he returned to the Marlins organization as a minor league pitching coach in 2019 and a major league rehab pitching coach in 2021.
Pilittere played in the Yankees minor league system from 2004-11 before taking on a minor league coaching role in 2012. In 2018, he was named the assistant hitting coach for the major league club. After four seasons, the Yankees let him go at the end of the 2021 campaign, and he signed on with the Rockies shortly thereafter.
The blind leading the blind.
Why? Nobody else wants the gig?
Plus, he’s doing a great job! Ahahahaha!
Thank you Riddler – killing it as always! Please keep posting.
You guys don’t get it. He is the only one that has a clue. Monfort, Schmidt and the rest are aclueistic. If they got someone Les the last 2 seasons would be comparable to White Sox. Chicken dumplings cannot be mad from chicken droppings.
You talking about the Riddler or Bud Black?
He’s managed 17 years. He’s had four winning seasons. 2 with SD. 2 with Colorado. Clearly ownership is okay with all of this.
It’s odd how ownership embraces the losing.
it’s not like they are going to have a winning record without him managing anyway
Arte Moreno just called Montfort to congratulate him.
That was perfect, YBC.
Its not so much that they embrace losing as much as they embrace having a figurehead that does exactly what they are told to do
L Rockies fans
I actually feel bad for them they might be horrible forever it’s been 6 consecutive seasons of failure
“6 consecutive seasons of failure”…Even the light at the end of the tunnel burned out a long, long time ago.
It’s definitely a train.
No guts and he comes cheap, this team is going nowhere, a shame for real Rocky fans.
It’s a win-win. Bud Black won’t be getting a job anywhere else nor the Rockies will find a manager that can achieve a better record with the worthless rosters the front office assembles.
I hope for better for the fans in Denver. You’d say their loyalty will end somewhere and sometime, but they keep going to the stadium.
It’s amazing how many fans for the visiting team there always are. It’s especially true for my guys (cardinals), but equally for dodgers, giants, cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and more.
As for Bud Black, I feel bad for him, as the Rockies ownership is awful and doesn’t support the team at all.
It says a lot that he only got one year.
The Royals improved by 30 games in one season. They did this by revamping they’re starting rotation with free agents and a trade. Four of the five pitchers in the rotation were new this year to the Royals. It can be done.
Sure, with the small caveat that no one wants to pitch at Coors Field.
@Lets Go DBacks
What’s wrong with pitching at Coors?
Balls always fly further in Denver.
mlb has introduced a humidor to baseballs at all ballparks so the balls are the same conditions however they don’t carry as much.. It was noticeable at diamondbacks park but not sure if it made any difference at coors field.
And the Rockies don’t really even need to do that because they have two regular starters coming back from injury in 2025. If healthy, the starting rotation for the Rox is probably their best asset. If they can stay healthy, and figure out how to beat bad teams, they will be a serious Wild Card contenders in 2025.
This is a hilarious comment.
Glad I can help you get over your team missing the playoffs.
No jab needed, the Diamondbacks blew their own chances.
Wow. I’d like to play poker with you.
I’d love that too. In my youth, I took A LOT of money off of people that underestimated me at the poker table.
It didn’t hurt that Bobby Witt went to the next level and is the best overall player in baseball.
Yeah exactly that. The Rockies have no one on the club right now that is going to turn into a superstar. They have no pitching and they play with 3 big spenders + the dbacks. If the Rox win 70 next year that’d surprise me.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish with less wins than this year.
Amador & Fernandez didn’t have very good minor league seasons. Jordan Beck was overmatched and Nolan Jones tanked.
They need everything to go right and if it even it did. 75-76 wins?
D’backs increased their spending by $65 million in 2024 and ended up at $220,262,150. 13th highest in MLB.
Rockies dropped theirs by $26 million and are talking about dropping it further for 2025.
If I recall correctly, the last time the Rockies spent on free agent pitching, it was a disaster.
“Nonetheless, the Rockies expressed confidence in Black”
1 year extension
Manager of a last place ballclub doesn’t really matter. As long as the guys are showing up on time, the job is done.
Snitker.
Now it’s fixed.
The 1 year extensions are nothing new. They did the same thing with Walt Weiss and Jim Tracy. It’s just a Rockies thing.
God damn it sucks being a baseball fan in Denver. I went to 1 game this season and that was 1 too many. Used to go to at least 40. **** the ownership of this team. I’ll be attending 0 games in 2025.
That’s really the only way to send a message. They finish in the top half of the league in attendance regardless of the on field performance, so no need for ownership to spend if filling the park matters more than winning.
Black is not the problem in Denver. He wasn’t in San Diego either.
Bring in Brent Strom for 1 year with Bud.
Strom likes a challenge and fixing pitchers in Colorado would be. Stromy as a bench coach can make sure the Roger Beshens Football Slider guys and they have a lot of them are super sharp before coming in the game.
I hear both the Republican & the Democratic parties are using the Roger Beshens Football Slider in the upcoming election.
And it’s been used in maternity wards successfully for years. Moms swear by it…
Roger Beshens was invited and visited the Dbacks Clubhouse in May to show advanced techniques for his Football Slider.
That was his sanctuary this year. Word is he put a bug in Stroms USC cap in Lovullo’s office
Cecconi was unwilling to move to right side of rubber, those 7 Cecconi losses was alone the difference not making playoffs.
Nelson was conflicted to throw the Roger Beshens Football Slider but that’s his ticket.
You are bordering on lunacy. And you are on the wrong side of that border…
Did you see the video with Strom acknowledging he knows about the Roger Beshens Slider, talking about sticky stuff, ripping a pitchers motion and telling Roger 3 pirates paid him for his Football Slider advice in front of 11 dbacks pitchers in the bullpen, Talking Stick Feb 29 2024?
Ryne Nelson was warming up while this was happening and wasn’t a happy camper. Fetters, Carlson are besides themselves, Drabek is just laughing with Tommy Henry’s concern.
Sounds crazy but fortunately it’s ALL documented.
Roger put out a teaser clip of it, left out the real good stuff.
i can’t tell if he’s a good manager anymore, he’s been repeatedly beaten into the ground by all the losing
Most incompetent org in baseball; Angels not far behind
Risk-aversion and complacency are profitable for both orgs. Both have extremely loyal fans. Neither are incompetent.
The A’s would like to have a word with you.
The White Sox have joined the call…
I admire the Rockies’ fan base, they support their team under difficult circumstances.
Bud Black is neither the solution nor the problem.
Move the team to Oakland where it belongs
Need to get a full staff of high percentage ground ball pitchers and then infielders with tremendous defensive metrics.
I love the quote
“We believe the team is heading in the right direction”
Worse team in the NL, 100+ losses, year after year of terrible teams, no plan, no direction, same ole same ole.
I shudder to think what the wrong direction would be.
LOL. Well, they did win 2 more games in 2024 than in 2023.
Losing 100 games is going in the right direction? Being so loyal to personnel who have not earned it is a good way to remain a losing franchise. And Charlie Monfort has perfected the philosophy.
Bill Schmidt stating, “We believe this team is heading in the right direction”
================================
In the past 6 years, they are 24 games and 39 games behind the WS and Oakland.
Bud Black probably goes year to year and Montfort probably has a good relationship with him. I can’t comment on Bud’s tenure, but when he’s been given players to make the team competitive, he’s done so. Can’t blame him if he doesn’t have the pieces.
Grats Buddy!
Good for Bud. He is 67 and has been hinting at retirement for a couple of years. Maybe the Rockies will actually give him a team in 2025 that has enough talent to get out of last place for a change.
What is sad is that the Rockies should have been worse than 101 losses this season judging from RS/RA and WAR. Black has brought most of them home with just a few more wins than their Pythagorean W/L and WAR W/L say they should have had. With the Padres it was much the same. Bottom 5 payrolls for 5 of his 7 full seasons. Never better than 18th. Bad, bad teams and he still almost got them to the playoffs in 2007 and in 2010 when they had the lowest payroll in baseball.
Always wondered what he could have done with a team with a payroll like the Dodgers or Yankees.
It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about making millions while living in Colorado
“ Black is the winningest manager in Rockies history”. The author neglected to point out that he’s also the Losingest manager in Rockies history.
The Rockies and Angels could merge and they’d probably be a .500 team
I’m surprised that Black will be back. When it was taking so long for the Rockies to make any announcement about him, I figured that he would either be gone or moved to a front office job. As a Rockies fan, I’m glad Black is returning. He’s not the reason that the Rockies have been losing.
Guaranteed the Angels will eventually hire him. They’re stuck on 2002 and he’s the last coach they haven’t burned bridges with. They never mention Scioscia or Maddon
Rockies improved by two games. Extend him until 2040 and we’ll make the playoffs!
For those freaking out, why does it matter? It’s a 1 year deal. Who else are they gonna sign that’s gonna make a difference with this roster? They have deeper problems than just just a manager
At least ownership can always say their manager always leads them into the Black.