What we have learned about Warren Schaeffer’s management style

While the 2025 season runs from Colorado Rockies, it’s time to look to the future.

Although this team (probably) will not set the record for most losses in modern times, the Rockies clearly have not been a good team. (Again, worst run differential and worst era due to a start rotation are still for the taking.)

Their 40-103 record speaks for itself, and the reasons for the team’s struggles are this season a lot and variedSuch as ESPN detailed last week. (I also tried to locate some of them in July.)

But one of the biggest questions is what Dick Monfort will do about the future of Interim manager Warren Schaeffer, who took the helm of a sinking ship on 12 May.

It is worth considering what we have learned about Schaeffer’s management philosophy and investigates whether he might fit well with the permanent position.

It is clear that the Rockies have played better under the steward of Schaeffer. In 2025 they went under 7-33 (.175 WL%) Bud Black And 33-70 (.320 WL%) went with Schaeffer.

I wrote for the first time about Schaeffer’s approach in May when I tried to understand what I called his “coaching pedagogics”. Since then, Schaeffer’s philosophy has become clearer, both because he has had more time to implement it and because he has become better at articulating.

In May he emphasized the need for clear communication and realistic benchmarks, and saw this season as a ‘opportunity’. Moreover, Schaeffer emphasized the need for players to play ‘separately’ and stop playing ‘tight’.

This is how Schaeffer explained it to Ryan Spilborghs:

I just want them to play separately. You know, from my vantage point we have a new start. They have played tightly, in general, young players who play tightly. I want the young players to come up and feel that they are immediately part of something when they arrive here. And I believe that when you play separately, the basic principles get better and all things you practice can show.

I have thought a lot about that passage, but I really didn’t understand. Last month, Schaeffer further explained his thinking and his answer is worth quoting extensively.

These are young players where, if they make mental mistakes – who, you expect to do that – must be a patience level.

But when they are corrected, you must trust and give the guideline that this is what you have done wrong. I don’t want you to go outside and play ‘tight’ and feel that you cannot make another mistake. I want you to know what you have done wrong, repair it, move forward and play for free, and you don’t worry about me.

It does not overlook them ‘things. It is learning and going ahead and seeing results as we had this earlier series [with the Pittsburgh Pirates]Where if you play tight, you can’t come back from nine to nothing. You can’t come back from four to nothing. You just put it in a box, and nothing works when you are tight.

So just play for free and believe.

Don’t know. It’s hard to explain. You just have to look and see what you saw this almost the entire second half. In my opinion you have seen the majority of the boys play for free.

To give further illustration, at the beginning of September, he added this when he was asked about the slump of Bernabel:

The big competitions are difficult for, especially, young players. I tell you, [playing in the big leagues] Is difficult to do.

You cannot expect the young guy to come up and will be on fire from the beginning to the end of the season. He will go through spells like this kind. That’s baseball. It’s just a matter of how he deals with it.

So he is going through now. We try to help him, give him patience, give him trust and just say: “If you insist” – that’s really something that boys do, especially young players – “You don’t have to print. You are good enough to be here. You have already shown that. ‘

Schaeffer’s management strategy is based on building players’ confidence, transferring his belief in them together with baseball instruction and then confidence to play better – and to believe that they will do that.

His reference “That is baseball” was not lost, because it is not only true, but it was also a Bud Black Staple. However, it is clear that the two managers have very different approaches.

I was reminded of Black’s comments to Sam Bradfield in September 2018 when the Rockies looked very different than today. She asked him about his approach to work with young players:

I think playing time will be earned in many different ways over time, many different auditions. Whether it is for spring training; whether the small competitions and the production of Minor League are; Whether it is about the performance of the Major League/Minor League; Evaluations of Minor League evaluators, Minor League coaches, managers, what they see from young players and predict what they will do at the Major League level based on what they see at the level of the Minor League.

I think steps should be taken -on the schedule of 40 men, being in the main class camp, getting used to the big league setting, all those things come into play. How they deal mentally and emotionally with a main class match, a main class setting, conversations with them … There are many indicators who tell you when it is their time.

The idea of ​​Black about ‘earning’ playing time is something that took place a number of times during his term of office. A player produced, or he didn’t. Cases of these are Elehuris Montero, Yonathan Daza, Raimel Tapia and José Mujica.

By thinking back to Black’s time as a manager, we were probably able to see some young players play ‘tight’ and become less confident because they were concerned about failure and being sent back to Triple-A.

To be clear, that does not mean that all the problems of these players were the result of Black’s decisions. It is clear that the Rockies in their system have important problems with players’ development. But at the end of the day, Black served as the ultimate MLB gatekeeper for the prospects of the Rockies.

That leads to an obvious question: Should Warren Schaeffer get the job as the permanent manager of De Rockies?

It is clear that Schaeffer was the right person for this team during this season. His self-confidence and educational approach to baseball (reflections of both his personality and his earlier career that have been spent as a Minor League manager) have enabled this Young Rockies team to grow and make progress.

But I wondered if his approach would work with teams like, say, the Philadelphia Phillies or the New York Yankees. Those teams have effective players development systems and all-star experienced players. I’m not sure how Schaeffer’s approach would translate.

Ultimately, only Dick Monfort’s opinion matters – and he has not yet revealed his thinking.

This week on the internet

Last week the Rockies welcomed the Denver Nuggets in Coors Field, and Peyton Watson threw the first throw away.

Peyton Watson, have you considered as a professional baseball?

Hunter Goodman mentioned National League Player of the Week | Purple row

ICYMI, the Rockies All-Star Catcher continues to pick up the praise.

MLB’s Fire Managers plotted their returns after a most unusual summer | Vs today

Bob Nightengale spoke with the MLB managers who were fired in the course of the 2025 season. Yes, he spoke with Bud Black – I believe this is Black’s first comments about his termination. And also, yes, he hopes to return to baseball and would like to manage again.

Since Rox Match 2023 is a loss record, the focus is on process, growth beyond ’25 | Mlb.com

This is an informative interview with Schaeffer about his approach to a season that is about to set some dubious records. Thomas Harding describes some of the changes that Schaeffer has implemented to get the young Rockies on the right track.

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