Take Gwynn, for example: He said Black was the first manager to let him play often in the big leagues. That was 2009, and it turned out to be Gwynn's best season in the Majors.
"I think the Nationals pitchers are going to love him," Gwynn said. "He is a lot harder on the pitchers than he is the position players, because he was a pitcher. But it's in a way that guys respect him and they want to get better. I played for him for two years, and I never met anyone who didn't love Buddy."
After becoming the manager of the Padres after the 2006 season, one of Black's first calls was to Bell to inform him that he could have a big role coming out of the bullpen.