SF Giants division rivals let go of longtime manager after disastrous start

The Colorado Rockies decided to make a change in leadership after a disastrous 7-33 start. According to a team announcement, they have parted ways with longtime manager Bud Black and tabbed Warren Schaeffer as the interim manager.

SF Giants division rivals let go of longtime manager after disastrous start

Black was in his ninth season as the skipper of the Rockies. No manager has led the Rockies for more seasons than Black. He went 544-690 (.441 winning percentage) during his tenure with Colorado.

Oddly enough, no Rockies manager has finished with a winning record. Jim Tracy came the closest. His tenure began in 2009, and he managed for four seasons, putting up a .488 winning percentage as Colorado's skipper.

With Black, he has managed through some lean seasons with the Rockies. Colorado's front office and ownership group are more to blame than any manager. They do not scout and develop well, and have been relatively frugal in free agency. No one can successfully manage a roster like the one Black has had in recent seasons.

Colorado's biggest free-agent expenditure was a seven-year, $182 million pact handed out to Kris Bryant. Unfortunately, the 2016 NL MVP has been plagued with injuries during his Rockies tenure. When he has been healthy, he has struggled to a .695 OPS while playing half of his games at the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.

The Rockies have also handed out long-term extensions to a trio of pitchers in Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, and Antonio Senzatela. All three pitchers have an ERA well above five this season, highlighting some of the inherent issues with roster composition.

This is not the first move the Rockies have made in leadership this season either. They let go of hitting coach Hensley Meulens in April after the team's rough start at the plate. Not surprisingly, things have not been much better since then.

In addition to parting ways with Black, the Rockies also relieved bench coach Mike Redmond of his duties. Clint Hurdle, who previously managed the Rockies, was named interim bench coach.

For Black, he has managed in parts of 18 seasons, split evenly between the Rockies and San Diego Padres. Neither of those organizations were particularly strong during his tenure, and the issues had little to do with the manager. In a lot of ways, being the Rockies manager is a thankless job. What more could Black have done to prevent the disastrous start to the season?