The Rockies on Sunday won a game, but still fired manager Bud Black after an abysmal 7-33 start. They’re on pace to end up with the worst record in Major League Baseball history and they’ve already had three separate eight-game losing streaks.
As such, it shouldn’t be all too shocking that the manager got his walking papers.
Still, Black is a very respected man in the game and there were bound to be some strong feelings.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts coached with the Padres 2011-15 before taking the Dodgers’ managerial job. Black was the Padres’ manager at the time. Roberts on Sunday night said he thought of Black as a mentor and then offered up the following on the state of the Rockies’ roster, regarding this move (via the Orange County Register):
“I’m bummed. I’m disappointed. I don’t think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub and that’s not the manager’s fault. But obviously, they felt they needed a change in voice or direction. But for me, there’s not many people that are better than Buddy Black. So, yeah, that’s very disappointing. It is certainly not his doing.”
Sure, on one hand, Roberts’ point is a very salient one. The Rockies are so bad that even one of the greatest managers ever wouldn’t be able to get them out of this mess and into contention. No argument there.
Black has been the Rockies’ manager since 2017, however. They won 87 games in 2017 and 91 in 2018, advancing past the Wild Card game before being swept in the NLDS. Not only have they not made the playoffs since, but they haven’t even come close to a winning record. The best winning percentage in there was .460 (74-87 in 2021).
The Rockies as a franchise had never had a 100-loss season before 2023, but they lost 103 that season and 101 last year and look a sure bet to get there again.
Of course, in light of all this, the manager is going to be fired.
The front office is a mess and there isn’t any manager that would have this team winning, but there also isn’t much justification to keep Black on board at this point. Still, it was a fun Stengel quote and there’s no harm in Roberts getting the back of someone he holds near and dear.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
