Warren Schaeffer Has Blunt Response on Future of Rockies Breakout Rookie Blaine Crim

Blaine Crim has left an impression during his early Colorado Rockies tenure.

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When the Colorado Rockies claimed Blaine Crim off waivers on Aug. 3, not much was made of it.

It's hard to blame anyone for having that reaction. There are tons of moves made like this throughout the season, and considering Crim was a 19th-round pick in the 2019 draft and had only made his MLB debut earlier in the 2025 campaign, there wasn't much to get excited about.

However, the 28-year-old rookie has done nothing but impress since he was called up by the Rockies on Sept. 12, as the slugging first baseman has belted five home runs in his first 11 games to become only the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat.

Blaine Crim Might Have Played Himself Into 2026 Roster Spot

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Warming Bernabel looks like he could be the short-term future at first base until Charlie Condon makes his way up to the majors. But with Michael Toglia continuing to struggle and the organization reportedly getting frustrated with his lack of development, the backup role could be open. And based on how Crim has performed in his limited sample size for Colorado, there's a good chance that he will enter spring training next year with the inside track to earn that Opening Day roster spot.

Count interim manager Warren Schaeffer as someone who has been impressed by Crim. And when he was asked about the possibility of the 28-year-old rookie being part of this team going forward, he had a blunt response.

"I don't see why not," he said, per Luke Olson of MLB.com. He later added, "He's made a great first impression with us. Just the way he takes his at-bats professionally. He's not just an all-or-nothing guy; he's got good bat-to-ball skills."

The Crim Reaper strikes again! pic.twitter.com/cXaZZhubbF

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 21, 2025

No one quite knows how the Rockies are going to field their roster next year since it's unknown if they will have a new executive leading their baseball operations team or not. With that, there is uncertainty about Schaeffer's future.

But there's no doubt that Crim is leaving an impression. And even if a different regime takes over in Colorado, it could be hard to part ways with the slugger based on what he's done to start his tenure.

"That would be the dream," Crim said when discussing the possibility of being in the Rockies' long-term plans. "But right now it's trying to win every at-bat, every pitch and do what I can to help."

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