The Colorado Rockies have agreed to a three-year contract extension with manager Bud Black after he guided the team to back-to-back playoff appearances.
His contract now runs through the 2022 season, the team announced Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“Buddy has seamlessly become part of our leadership fabric,” general manager Jeff Bridich said. “Our organization as a whole is better for it.”
The 61-year-old Black has posted a 178-147 record since being named Colorado’s manager on Nov. 7, 2016. His .548 winning percentage is the best in franchise history.
One of the things the Rockies front office appreciates about Black is his patience. He’s a calming influence throughout a long season.
“There are those stress points in any season, in great seasons and not-so-great seasons,” Bridich said. “There’s a consistent kind of calmness being able to breathe and calm things down in the face of fire or unfortunate events or if things don’t go your way. There’s a lack of panic (with Black). He does a good job of leaning on experience. It’s not all about Buddy — he leans on the people around him and leans on the folks that are empowered to do their jobs.”
Colorado is coming off a 91-72 season in which the team challenged for the NL West title before losing in a tiebreaking game to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card game before losing to Milwaukee during the NL Division Series. That was on the heels of losing to Arizona in the NL wild-card contest in 2017.
It’s the first time the Rockies have been to back-to-back postseasons in team history.
“I’m excited to be here because of where we are,” Black said. “People in the game, people in the know, are talking about the Rockies, which is a great thing.”
Black has been an NL Manager of the Year finalist in each of his two seasons with the Rockies. He won the award in 2010 while with the San Diego Padres.
He’s always thought of himself as a mentor, whether it’s in a managerial role or in his earlier days as a pitching coach. That was also the case throughout his pitching career.
Just one of the reasons Bridich thought Black would be a quality leader for an up-and-coming team.
“Anytime you’re looking for somebody to add to your leadership process, you’re looking for a certain fit,” Bridich said. “For us, it’s the personality, the competency fit, a vision fit — in terms of do we see the future similarly or the potential for the future similarly? Are we going to be able to share that vision as we actually get to work and march forward together? Are we committed to the work it takes? That was at the core of a lot of it.
“Throughout the season, the collaborative process that has to happen in order for us to get the most out of our players, Buddy is right at the forefront.”
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