The Colorado Rockies’ firing of longtime manager Bud Black means a former WPIAL product will try to get the club back on track.
Warren Schaeffer, a native of Vandergrift and a Greensburg Central Catholic alum, was named interim manager Sunday. He had been the third base coach since 2023.
Schaeffer, a former draft pick of Colorado, coached in the Rockies’ farm system for 10 years, serving as manager of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes in 2021-22.
“Warren is going to bring some energy and some enthusiasm, and he’s a great communicator,” Rockies’ general manager Bill Schmidt told The Denver Post. “He’s the right person to lead us forward for the remainder of this season, develop our young talent at the major league level, and get our club back to playing a better brand of baseball.”
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 11, 2025
Schaeffer, 40, the eighth manager in club history, will be joined in the dugout by newly promoted bench coach Clint Hurdle, the former Pirates manager who joined the Rockies as a hitting coach.
Colorado also relieved bench coach Mike Redmond of his duties as it tries to turn around a 7-33 season. The Rockies have two wins in 19 games away from Coors Field.
On Sunday, they hit rock bottom with a 21-0 loss to the San Diego Padres.
Schaeffer was drafted in the 38th round of the 2007 draft out of Virginia Tech. While he reached the Triple-A level, he never played in a major-league game.
He retired in 2012 at 28 and began his climb in the coaching ranks as a hitting coach in Single-A.
In high school, Schaeffer led GCC to a PIAA championship in 2002 and was a four-year starter at shortstop in college.
