Colorado Rockies: Who was the better offseason acquisition?

Bud Black

The Rockies decided it was time to move on from Walt Weiss after he went 283-365 during his four years as the Rockies manager. Roughly a month after Weiss stepped down, the Rockies hired Bud Black.

Black was the manager for the San Diego Padres from 2007-2015. His measly 649-713 record with the Padres is long forgotten as he is leading the Rockies to their best start in franchise history.

Colorado Rockies

Heading into Friday’s action, the Rockies were leading the NL West by 2 games with a 26-16 record. Although the record speaks for itself, that isn’t the reason Buddy Black is the best offseason acquisition.

Black has completely changed the pitching in the Rockies organization. He is the first former pitcher to be signed as a manager for the Rockies. This makes perfect sense though, since their biggest weakness last season was pitching.

He is the ideal manager to handle the young, talented starting rotation for Colorado. His mix of sarcastic humor and attention to detail is exactly what the pitching staff needs. It has worked too, as the Rockies starting rotation is 17-14 with a 4.53 ERA (before Friday).

But wait … there’s more. If you think he has done well with the starters, just wait until you have seen what he has done to the bullpen. Last year, the Rockies bullpen was the worst in the MLB with a 5.13 ERA. This year, they are 8-1 with a 3.95 ERA.

Bud Black was the Rockies best offseason acquisition, because he has the Rockies currently leading the NL West. He also has a typically below average pitching staff ranked in the top 15.