Rockies Fire Pitching Coach Alon Leichman

The Rockies have parted ways with pitching coach Alon Leichman, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Keith Law.  Leichman held the position for just one season, as the Rox only hired the 37-year-old last December.

On paper, the quick hook isn’t necessarily a surprise given that Colorado’s pitching staff finished last in baseball in ERA (5.59), SIERA (4.58), strikeout rate (17.5%), WHIP (1.52), and opponents’ batting average (.283), plus last or close to last in multiple other categories.  As is the case with any coaching firing, however, it is fair to wonder how much of the blame can be played on a coach for the shortcomings of a roster that was clearly lacking in pitching talent.  In the Rockies’ case specifically, the team has spent its entire history trying to figure out how to develop and maintain quality pitching in the thin air of Coors Field.

Nobody expected Leichman to turn this around in a single year, but president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta may have planted some hints about the firing when speaking to reporters last week.  The starters’ pre-game preparation under Leichman may have been an issue, as DePodesta pointed specifically to the fact that Colorado’s “run differential was worse in innings one and two than innings three and beyond combined.  There were way too many games where we just got into a hole within the first two innings.”

With Leichman now gone, it is worth wondering if assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann, or director of pitching Matt Daniels may be in jeopardy.  This trio were also hired just last winter as part of a broader shake-up of the coaching staff in DePodesta’s first winter in charge of the Rockies’ front office.

DePodesta (likely with some input from manager Warren Schaeffer) will now add another pitching coach search to the offseason to-do list.  Colorado is still deep into rebuild mode, and revamping the team’s pitching process on an analytical and development is more important than getting a big uptick in Major League results in 2027, though obviously improvement would be welcome.  Even a short-term boost in starter or bullpen ERA would help the Rox perhaps flip some pitchers elsewhere at the trade deadline in exchange of prospects.

This was the first time Leichman had worked as a big league team’s lead pitching coach.  He had previously been an assistant pitching coach with the Marlins in 2025 and the Reds in 2023-24, and spent four seasons as a pitching coach in the Mariners’ farm system.