Bud Black says Rockies players aware no one gives them a chance
Mar 28, 2024, 12:20 PM | Updated: 2:25 pm
The Colorado Rockies don’t have many people believing in them entering the 2024 season, and manager Bud Black is aware of that.
He says the players on the team are as well.
Black joined “Schlereth and Evans” on 104.3 The Fan on Thursday morning ahead of Opening Day, and said players know expectations are low.
“Our guys have a lot of pride. That’s the thing we talked about in spring training, the naysayers are out there. Our guys hear it. They don’t say much publicly, but internally the guys are not liking what they’re hearing,” Black said.
Fresh off their first 100-loss season in franchise history, the oddsmakers don’t expect much better this year. They’ve set the over / under win total at just 59.5 games, meaning the Rockies could hit the over and still go 60-102. Colorado lost 103 games last season.
“It’s one of those things when you get backed up into the corner, you come out fighting. And I think that’s the message we want to send to our fans,” Black said.
ESPN is one of the major outlets not buying it. They absolutely shredded the Rockies in their preseason Power Rankings earlier this week, putting them 29th out of 30 teams in MLB. Only the Oakland Athletics are behind, and ESPN ripped the front office and ownership for an offseason in which very few moves were made.
Still, Black made his pitch to the fans with Mike and Mark. He thinks the Rockies will be fun to watch and will play the game the right way.
“Come out, you’re going to see us play hard. You’re going to see us run the bases hard, you’re going to see us play defense, you’re going to see us attack the strike zone. All these things that I think the fans can appreciate,” Black said.
Colorado will start the season on Thursday night in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The home opener is next Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. And then all the pomp and circumstance will be finished and the 162-game grind can begin.
To listen to the full interview with Bud Black on 104.3 The Fan, click here.
