The Colorado Rockies have extended the contract of manager Bud Black, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Black had one year remaining on the three-year extension he signed in Feb. 2019, and the new one-year extension locks him up through 2023. The Rockies have not yet confirmed the news.
Black, 64, is entering his sixth season with Colorado. He led the team to wild card berths in 2017 and 2018, the first time the Rockies qualified for the postseason in back-to-back years in franchise history, and they advanced to the NLDS in 2018. Colorado is 349-359 (.493) in Black's five seasons, though they've played at a 90-loss pace over the last three years.
Prior to joining the Rockies, Black managed the San Diego Padres for nine seasons, and was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2010. He finished third in the voting in 2017 and 2018. In 14 seasons as a manager Black owns a 998-1,072 (.482) career record while guiding clubs that were rebuilding more often than not.
Black pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues before becoming a manager. He compiled a 121-116 record with a 3.84 ERA with five teams from 1981-95, and although he never went to an All-Star Game or received Cy Young votes, Black was a reliable innings eater for more than a decade. He served as pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels from 2000-06.
The Rockies went 74-87 in 2021 but have yet to commit to a rebuild, even after trading Nolan Arenado and likely losing Trevor Story to free agency. The club reportedly wants to contend in 2022, and with the new collective bargaining agreement likely to expand the postseason field, qualifying for the postseason isn't impossible.
