Harry Ralston “Buddy” Black has managed more games than anyone in Rockies history, bypassing Clint Hurdle on Thursday when the Rockies lost to the Nationals.
But Black’s future is cloudy. Whether he stays or goes is the biggest issue hovering over the club as we near the season’s final month.
Although Black and owner Dick Monfort had some preliminary talks about a contract extension during spring training, Black remains in limbo. I was told that something might be worked out in the second half of the season. However, general manager Bill Schmidt recently told me that Black’s future will be discussed after the season.
That’s a red flag.
I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.
Some days, I get the feeling the Black is eager to captain a ship that will be loaded with fresh new talent in the coming seasons. On other days, I’m not so sure.
Black turned 67 on June 30, but he’s still young at heart. He loves interacting with players and thinks of himself as a teacher. He loves throwing batting practice. He loves the in-game chess match. Heck, he even enjoys talking to us schlubs in the media. Go figure.
But I also sense he’s simply tired of losing. Who can blame him? I sense that he’s tired of filling out a lineup he knows is less talented than the opposition’s. I sense he’s tired of “wait ’til next year.”
Black hasn’t said it, but I think he agrees with veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who spoke from the heart last August.
“We all want to win, and we all want to have success, and we all want to be in the playoffs playing meaningful baseball,” Freeland said after the Rockies were drubbed by the Padres at Coors Field. “Right now, it seems like every time you look down that tunnel, looking for that light, it just keeps getting further and further away.”
The Rockies are an inordinately patient organization, much to their fans’ chagrin. The Seattle Mariners have been run in a similar fashion. But on Thursday, as he saw his team’s playoff chances slip-sliding away, Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners president of baseball operations, fired longtime manager Scott Servais, who’d been the skipper for nine years.
Seattle held a 10-game lead in the American League West as recently as June 18 but went 20-33 to fall five games behind surging Houston.
“Where we were in the middle of June and where we are today — it’s hard to believe, actually, how quickly it all dissolved for us,” Dipoto told reporters.
Dipoto and Servas are longtime friends. Making the decision wasn’t easy for Dipoto, but that’s the harsh business of baseball. Dipoto, who also fired hitting coach Jarret DeHart, explained his reasons.
“Collectively, we determined that our organization needed this,” Dipoto said. “We needed to do something to create a different theme, a different vibe in our clubhouse. I’m not trying to throw Scott under a bus at all here. I can’t say enough positive things about the things he did in contributing here, but I do think we needed a new voice.”
Monfort and Schmidt might be thinking something similar.
Or perhaps it’s Black who’s balking.
Make no mistake, Black is a good manager. He proved that in 2017-18, his first two years at the helm when he led the Rockies to the only back-to-back playoff seasons in franchise history. He molded a young pitching staff that included German Marquez and Freeland.
He inherited a lineup that included stars Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story. Black was the right man at the right time.
As I’ve written before, the Rockies were in a rare place after the 2018 season. Had Monfort and the front office decided to go all-in by keeping LeMahieu, aggressively pursuing a free agent, or making an impactful trade, their window to win would have stayed open. Instead, they became conservative, the Arenado trade fiasco blew up on them, and six consecutive losing seasons have followed.
Black deserved better. He won’t say it, but it’s true. He’s been loyal and has had nothing but good things to say about Monfort and Schmidt.
Now, a decision looms.
Black is a people person. He relates to his players, staff and the media better than any coach or manager I’ve ever been around. That could be invaluable for a young team.
But a younger, fresh voice might be needed. Infield/third base coach Warren Schaffer might be the answer. But how would that play with bench coach Mike Redmond or hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens, who would no doubt like a shot to manage a big-league team?
Bringing in a manager from outside the organization would mean cleaning house in the coaching ranks. The Rockies are usually reluctant to shake things up, so hiring from outside would go against their usual modus operandi.
I could see Black working in the Rockies’ front office. He loves Colorado and wants to see the Rockies succeed. However, he would have to have some real power in the front office to make it worth his while. But would that interfere with Schmidt or other front office members?
I know some fans blamed Black for the Rockies’ frequent bullpen blowouts earlier in the season. But did you see the pitchers Black had to choose from? He’s a manager, not a magician.
I understand that the Rockies are headed for their second consecutive 100-loss season. I understand the fans’ angst and/or apathy. Black’s not perfect. No manager is. But he’s been asked to manage a rebuilding team. He can only work with the tools he’s been given.
I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m certain of one thing: If Black leaves, Monfort and Company better be ready to shoulder the blame.
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