Embracing innovation, Rockies to hire Leichman as pitching coach (sources)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Rockies’ new pitching coach will be Alon Leichman, according to Major League sources. Leichman served as assistant pitching coach for the Marlins last season and held the same post with the Reds the two previous years.

The Rockies have not confirmed the move, as the club is still working through interviews and hiring.

The expected hiring of Leichman is a signal that manager Warren Schaeffer and the front office are open to innovative teaching and strategy. While it’s not known if the strategy will continue with the Rockies, Marlins pitching coach Daniel Moskos and Leichman called pitches from the dugout late last season.

Leichman -- a native of Kibbutz Gezer, Israel, who communicates with players in English and fluent Spanish -- pitched collegiately at Cypress College and the University of California at San Diego, and he has been a player and coach internationally with Team Israel -- including as bullpen coach in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Before joining the Reds, Leichman was a Minor League pitching coach for the Mariners (2019-22). Leichman was also the pitching coach for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League in 2022 -- the same year that Schaeffer managed the Salt River Rafters.

Pitching was one of many problems that arose during the Rockies' 43-119 performance last season -- tied for the third-worst record of the Modern Era. With a rotation beset by injuries and inexperience, the 6.65 ERA was the highest of any starting staff since ERA became an official statistic in 1913.

Improving the pitching has been a point of emphasis for the Rockies, who are replacing pitching coach Darryl Scott, bullpen coach Dustin Garneau (now the Braves’ catching coach), Triple-A Albuquerque pitching coach Chris Michalak, pitching strategist Flint Wallace and pitching coordinator Doug Linton.

Coaches calling pitches is a common practice below the professional level. However, the Yankees began calling selected pitches in the Minors a few years back, and Marlins director of player development Rachel Balkovec (who formerly worked for the Yankees) instituted pitch-calling by coaches as part of the organization’s strategy in 2025. The strategy showed up in the Majors in the final days of last season under Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.

Could Leichman bring such a system the Rockies’ way?

Paul DePodesta, hired last month as the Rockies’ president of baseball operations, didn’t mention any specific person during Monday’s first day of the MLB Winter Meetings, while saying the Rockies will not mind innovating.

“Some of the conversations we’ve had with some of these pitching folks, they’ve said, ‘Well, what do you think about this? Or what do you think about that?’” DePodesta said. “And I’ve told them everything is on the table. We’re just approaching it with a very open mindset. We know there are things that have been tried, and we want to learn from those as best we can, too.

“We also have some good, objective data internally about some different things that may work, and other things maybe not so much. We’ve already had some interesting discussions, and I’m really encouraged about the direction it’s already heading.”