Warren Schaeffer returning as Rockies manager for 2026 season

Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post on Nov 24, 2025

Published in Baseball

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DENVER — Warren Schaeffer is getting his shot to help turn around the Colorado Rockies.

The club announced Monday that the 40-year-old Schaeffer will be retained as manager of a team facing a daunting rebuild in 2026. The club did not release the terms of the contract, but a source said it was a “mult-year deal.”

“We’re confident Warren is the right person to lead our club moving forward,” Paul DePodesta, the Rockies’ new president of baseball operations, said in a statement. “He has established strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise and embodies the energy and work ethic we want on and off the field.”

Schaeffer was named interim manager on May 11, replacing veteran Bud Black, who was fired after the Rockies began the season with a 7-33 record. Schaeffer becomes the eighth full-time manager in club history. The club did not disclose the length of Schaeffer’s contract.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this team,” Schaeffer said. “My focus remains on continuing to build a strong, unified culture based on accountability, hard work and trust. We have a group of guys who care deeply about competing the right way, and my goal is to keep strengthening those relationships while leading a team that our fans can embrace and be proud of.”

Under Schaeffer, the Rockies went 36-86, finishing with a 43-119 record. The Rockies are coming off three consecutive 100-loss seasons and have not posted a winning record since 2018. The Rockies are hoping for a fresh start after becoming the first team with three straight 100-loss seasons since Houston from 2011 to 2013.

Although Colorado’s record was among the worst in Major League Baseball history, several Rockies players said at the end of the season that they appreciated Schaeffer’s communication skills and attention to detail, and hoped he would return.

Hunter Goodman recaps his 2025 Rockies season

Veteran left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland said Monday that he believes it was the right move.

“I’m very excited for ‘Schaeff’ and his family and our organization with him at the lead,” Freeland said. “We love playing for him and the type of mentality and passion he brings to the field every day.”

Catcher Hunter Goodman, the club’s lone All-Star in 2025 and a Silver Slugger winner, said that Schaeffer’s youthful energy is what the Rockies need.

“I think it’s really good for the team, especially with all of our young guys,” Goodman said. “He’s a younger manager. He’s got a great relationship with all of our guys. His level of communication with me, throughout the season, was awesome.

“As far as a leadership role, he shows up every day with the drive to get better and I think that’s what we need.”

Retaining Schaeffer is the third significant move the Rockies have made this year. In June, Walker Monfort, the oldest son of owner Dick Monfort, was promoted to executive vice president. Earlier this month, the club named DePodesta as president of baseball operations. He took over for general manager Bill Schmidt, who stepped down on Oct. 1. The Rockies are still expected to hire a GM to work under DePodesta.

Schaeffer’s first job in the Rockies organization was as the hitting coach for Short-Season Tri-City (Pasco, Wa.) in 2013. He kept climbing the organizational ladder. He managed the Asheville Tourists from 2015 through 2017 and Double-A Hartford in 2018 and 2019.

He was tabbed to manage Triple-A Albuquerque for the 2020 season, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He managed the Isotopes in 2021 and 2022. In November 2022, the Rockies promoted him to their major league coaching staff as third base and infield coach for the 2023 season.

Schaeffer was born and raised in Vandergrift, Pa., a former steel mill town. He attended Greensburg Central Catholic High School. As a senior, he hit .554, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named him its East Player of the Year. Harvard and Princeton recruited him, but he chose to chase his baseball dreams at Virginia Tech.

He was a starting shortstop all four seasons for the Hokies, slashing .292/.351/.402 as a senior. Colorado, hoping for a diamond in the rough, selected him with the 1,143rd overall pick. He was a college senior with a degree in history and a minor in English, with dreams of playing in the majors. He signed for $1,000.

But Schaeffer never made it. He climbed as high as Triple-A, playing for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 2010 and 2011. Overall, he slashed .214/.273/.285 in 461 minor league games, with nine home runs and 137 RBIs.

Wanting to stay in baseball, he decided to turn to coaching.

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