Jeff Bridich didn’t have to make much of an effort to gather outside input once he had identified Bud Black as a candidate to take over as manager for the Colorado Rockies.

And it took even less to gauge the reaction to his first managerial hire as the Rockies’ general manager.

“People literally won’t leave me alone,” Bridich said Monday. “They won’t leave my phone alone. They haven’t left my phone alone during the process or since (news of Black’s hiring) leaked out late (Sunday). The amount of people who have already either weighed in with respect to Bud and his family or who are dying to weigh in with congratulations for that, I think it’s very telling.”

There were no shortage of endorsements to be found for Black, who was eager to have a second crack as a manager. Black managed the Padres from 2007 to 2015 before spending last season as a special assistant to the front office of the Los Angeles Angels.

He had also served as the Angels pitching coach for seven seasons from 2000 to 2006, which included a world championship in 2002. He worked on that staff with Mike Scioscia, Ron Roenicke and Joe Maddon, all of whom have since reached the postseason as major league managers.

“There was a breadth of experience there that was an important and defining part of our final decision,” Bridich said.

Black said he was “pumped” when he was first contacted by Bridich about the job because he wanted to get back into managing and because of his love for the Denver area. His mother-in-law and sister-in-law live in the area. He was in Keystone in February for his daughter’s wedding. Black’s experiences in Denver date back to 1993 — the Rockies’ expansion season — when he pitched in Mile High Stadium as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

But Black wanted the job most because of the potential he sees with the Rockies.

“I’m excited about this group of players, this franchise and where it’s headed,” he said. “I got a lot of congratulatory texts last night, but a lot of them were about the team and how people in our industry view where this team is. I feel as though I’m in a great spot.”

Bridich kept a low profile during his search. He interviewed six candidates. He would not confirm Monday who the other men were. Rockies owner Dick Monfort said he sat in on five of the six interviews for about an hour each.

Ultimately, Monfort left the decision in Bridich’s hands.

“I told Jeff that if they find their guy, he’s my guy, too,” Monfort said. “I think it’s important that the baseball front office and the manager work in good stead, so I left that up to them.”

Bridich praised his front office staff and Monfort for their collaboration.

“The information-gathering, the impression-making, that doesn’t just happen with the snap of a finger and overnight,” Bridich said. “That’s a long process.”

Bud Black bio

A closer look at Bud Black, who the Rockies hired Monday as the seventh manager in franchise history:

Age: 59

Born: San Mateo, Calif.

Education: Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash.; San Diego State.

Major-league career: 15 seasons (1981-1995). Selected in the 17th round of the 1979 draft. Played for Seattle (1981), Kansas City (1982-88), Cleveland (1988-90, 1995), Toronto (1990) and San Francisco (1991-94).

Record: 121-116

Career ERA: 3.84

Coaching career: Los Angeles Angels, pitching coach (2000-06)

Managing career: San Diego Padres (2007-2015)

Record: 649-713 (.477)