Ex-Royals World Series Champ On Hot Seat As Manager Of Failing NL Club

A former World Series-winning hurler for the Kansas City Royals is reportedly on the hot seat as manager of a National League club.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black, a former Royals pitcher who won a World Series with the franchise in 1985, finds himself under some scrutiny as the 2025 season unfolds disastrously for Colorado. 

Despite Black’s storied career and positive reputation, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer suggested on Friday that Black’s tenure in Colorado may be nearing a breaking point.

“To start us off, here are a couple of fun facts about Bud Black: He's one of 39 managers who've managed 18 or more major league seasons … His .460 career winning percentage is the worst of the bunch,” Rymer wrote.

“Of course, these facts are only "fun" for the schadenfreude enthusiasts among us. Yet what is undeniably true either way is that Black's winning percentage is not exactly going up in 2025.”

“The Rockies are one of only two teams in MLB history to lose 31 times in the first 37 games of a season. Even the 2024 Chicago White Sox didn't do that en route to 121 losses, and their first manager didn't survive to tell the tale.”

“Beyond that bad omen, there's the sheer awkwardness of the fit for Black in Denver. He's a 67-year-old who's been in professional baseball since the late 1970s, and he's in charge of a roster that skews decidedly younger.”

“Throw in how Black is only signed for this year, and making him a sacrificial lamb would seem to be an easy call for the Rockies.”

“However, these are the Rockies we're talking about. They march to a sort of protectionist drumbeat, and it wasn't long ago that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that people in the organization "think highly of Black."

“Not a vote of confidence, perhaps, but the Rockies may well determine that letting Black finish off an all-time terrible season is less humiliating than firing him.”

The Rockies were 6-31 entering Friday. Unfortunately, that is not a typo.

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