The Colorado Rockies find themselves in a familiar position. They have spent years searching for answers to their pitching problems, and have yet to come up with an answer. This year is no different.
President of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta is facing another opportunity to change the organization’s direction.
Colorado parted ways with pitching coach Alon Leichman on Thursday after just one season. This came after another 100+ loss season. In fact, they finished 58-104. That’s the fourth consecutive season they have reached this unwanted mark.
While replacing the pitching coach may seem like just a minor step for a team that has so many issues to resolve, but this decision and the hire could reveal how DePodesta intends to rebuild a team so desperately in need of change.
Rockies’ Pitching Problems Go Beyond One Coach
To be fair, Leichman inherited a very difficult assignment. Maybe the toughest in all of MLB.
The Rockies were coming off three bad seasons and a historically atrocious one in 2025. The pitching staff finished with a 5.97 ERA.
Leichman came in with experience from the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins. He was expected to introduce some new ideas to a pitching staff that needed monumental help.
He did implement some new things. One of which was pitch calling from the dugout and changing how pitchers prepared between starts.
The results didn’t turn out as well as the organization hoped.
Colorado once again finished the 2026 campaign with the MLB worst ERA at 5.59. They allowed 944 runs and 1,635 hits. Opponents hit .288 against the Rockies staff while the pitchers only recorded 1,113 strikeouts.
The starting rotation was even worse than the team average, carrying a 6.28 ERA.
With those kinds of numbers, it really isn’t surprising that the organization would decide to make yet another change. Realistically, though, how much can one coach move the mark?
Paul DePodesta Faces Important Decisions
In the postseason media appearance, DePodesta made it clear that the organization needs to approach its problems differently. That’s not really breaking news. Something has to change, well actually, a lot has to change.
There isn’t just one correct answer to all of these questions. DePodesta is going to have to analyze what worked and what didn’t.
Does Colorado need an experienced pitching coach with a history of developing starters? Or, would a better tactic be to hire someone with a strong background in analytics and modern pitching?
Whatever the direction they take, the next hire needs to be more than just a different voice. They need a pitching philosophy that can transition players from the minors to the majors.
The team made several moves in the draft to increase the depth of pitching. Those moves are several years away from paying off.
But, the truth is, Colorado may be better off developing from within so they can get experience in Coors Field rather than just trying another veteran who steps into the beast field located a mile high.
Looking Forward to 2027 and Beyond
The challenges are great for this team, and not only are they huge in size, they are also very complicated.
Veterans Kyle Freeland, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano are all approaching free agency. There could be significant turnover in the already unstable rotation.
Younger pitchers like Mason Adams and Chase Dollander could represent the future. Dollander is recovering from elbow surgery. With all of the changes around him, his development and recovery is as important as ever.
Colorado has to determine whether pitchers such as Ryan Feltner can become effective in a different role.
Between the Rockies front office, coaching staff and development department, the team has to establish a system capable of developing pitchers who can make adjustments and remain effective in one of baseball’s most challenging environments.
Just as the last coach faced immense challenges, so will the next one. Turning an entire pitching staff around is a much larger problem than one coach.
DePodesta’s approach here could provide a clear indication of how he intends to attack one of Colorado’s looming problems.
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