Warren Schaeffer will return to manage the Colorado Rockies in 2026. It was the right call for a franchise that needs all the leadership it can find to pull itself out of a dark, dismal hole at the bottom of the National League West.

There will be plenty who will scoff at the move, saying Schaeffer should have been a part of the purge that has happened at 20th and Blake since last season’s 119-loss campaign ended. However, spending time in the clubhouse last season and talking to players, many will tell you there is no one who they would rather have as the manager than Schaeffer, who was announced Monday as the full-time manager.

Schaeffer took over as interim manager when Bud Black was relieved of his duties on May 11. Under Schaeffer’s guidance, Colorado went 36-86. This is a case, however, where numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“His work ethic speaks very highly of the kind of person he is,” Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland said when Schaeffer took over in the dugout. “Everyone in this clubhouse loves him. He’s a high-energy guy who wants to work every day.”

So how can you bring back a manager who compiled that record? Feelings from players like Freeland are one thing. You must also understand what Schaeffer was working with to understand the reason why.

Colorado had a franchise-record 13 players make their debut in 2025, and the Rockies finished the season with an average age of 26.0 on the active roster, making it the youngest roster in all of baseball.

In 2025, the Rockies let the kids play — and some of those kids were nudged into the big-league spotlight before they were ready.

“I really believe that the best-case scenario is that young players earn their spot on the big-league team,” DePodesta said at the recent General Manager meetings in Las Vegas. “They don’t just get it because that’s all you have, right?”

The numbers show in 2025 that getting to the big leagues is a completely different thing than succeeding at the MLB level.

Colorado’s pitching allowed 1,021 runs in 2025, the second-most in franchise history behind the 1,028 surrendered by the 1999 Rockies. Those are the only two teams in MLB history to allowed 1,000 or more runs in a single season.

At the plate, things weren’t much better. Colorado ranked 23rd among MLB’s 30 teams in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, and 27th in OPS at .679. The 597 runs scored by the Rockies last season ranked 29th.

With numbers like that, Sparky Anderson, Connie Mack or any accomplished manager would have had a tough time compiling wins — let alone someone like Schaeffer, who was thrust into the role in the midst of an agonizing campaign.

In September, the 40-year-old Schaeffer told The Denver Gazette that if given a full offseason, he believed he could institute meaningful changes in the franchise. Now he’s been awarded a chance to prove he can make that happen.

“We’re confident Warren is the right person to lead our club moving forward,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said Monday. “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 has hammered home the points of hard work and accountability for the Rockies. He likely must focus on those same ideals and more with a clubhouse that is expected to see a great deal of turnover this offseason.

New faces in new places could be a theme for the Rockies in 2026. The franchise has already jettisoned Opening Day first baseman Michael Toglia and made a trade with the Boston Red Sox for reliever Brennan Bernardino. More moves will happen this offseason as baseball’s Winter Meetings get underway in Orlando on Dec. 7.

Yes, there is a great deal of turnover happening with the Rockies this offseason, in the front office and on the roster. Schaeffer, however, will be the constant amid that change.

So how does he see the Rockies being different in 2026 under his leadership?

A quote from late September may give clues into that.

“We need to construct our roster so that we can score in many different ways,” Schaeffer said. “We need to play more aggressive baseball. We need to be better on the biomechanical side to help our players be better in that aspect, up and down the organization.

“We need to give the players more of what they need to perform at this level and at every other level getting here so they know themselves better when they arrive here.”

Schaeffer throughout last season sought to change the culture inside the organization. Wisely, the Rockies gave him the chance to do just that in 2026.