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.
mlb fan
The blind leading the blind.
rdiddy75
Why? Nobody else wants the gig?
NYCityRiddler
Plus, he’s doing a great job! Ahahahaha!
bpskelly
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.
swagsuperawesomeepiccoolman123
it’s not like they are going to have a winning record without him managing anyway
YankeesBleacherCreature
Arte Moreno just called Montfort to congratulate him.
rememberthecoop
That was perfect, YBC.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
L Rockies fans
I actually feel bad for them they might be horrible forever it’s been 6 consecutive seasons of failure
mlb fan
“6 consecutive seasons of failure”…Even the light at the end of the tunnel burned out a long, long time ago.
rememberthecoop
It’s definitely a train.
golfernut
No guts and he comes cheap, this team is going nowhere, a shame for real Rocky fans.
Lets Go DBacks
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.
This one belongs to the Reds
It says a lot that he only got one year.
rsailler
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.
Lets Go DBacks
Sure, with the small caveat that no one wants to pitch at Coors Field.
Old York
@Lets Go DBacks
What’s wrong with pitching at Coors?
hiflew
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.
Lets Go DBacks
This is a hilarious comment.
hiflew
Glad I can help you get over your team missing the playoffs.
Lets Go DBacks
No jab needed, the Diamondbacks blew their own chances.
rememberthecoop
Wow. I’d like to play poker with you.
Blah blah blah
“Nonetheless, the Rockies expressed confidence in Black”
1 year extension
Blah blah blah
Manager of a last place ballclub doesn’t really matter. As long as the guys are showing up on time, the job is done.
dclivejazz
Snitker.
dclivejazz
Now it’s fixed.
hiflew
The 1 year extensions are nothing new. They did the same thing with Walt Weiss and Jim Tracy. It’s just a Rockies thing.
Ski to Coors
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.
rct
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.
DecaturRagun
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.
numberoneslayerfan
i can’t tell if he’s a good manager anymore, he’s been repeatedly beaten into the ground by all the losing
Reynaldo's
Most incompetent org in baseball; Angels not far behind
YankeesBleacherCreature
Risk-aversion and complacency are profitable for both orgs. Both have extremely loyal fans. Neither are incompetent.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
I admire the Rockies’ fan base, they support their team under difficult circumstances.
Bud Black is neither the solution nor the problem.
Ranger Danger19
Move the team to Oakland where it belongs
Mr_KLC
Need to get a full staff of high percentage ground ball pitchers and then infielders with tremendous defensive metrics.