DENVER – Rockies third-base coach Andy González and assistant hitting coach Jordan Pacheco will return to manager Warren Schaeffer’s 2026 staff in the same roles, while Ron Gideon will move from first-base coach to assistant bench coach, the team announced Monday as the hirings neared their completion.
This will be Schaeffer’s first full season as manager. He took the job on an interim basis last May to replace Bud Black, and he was retained by new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta in November. Since then, Schaeffer, DePodesta and newly hired general manager Josh Byrnes have been formulating a new on-field staff.
The Rockies have overhauled the staff on the pitching side, with the hirings of pitching coach Alon Leichman, assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas and bullpen coach Matt Buschmann, with Matt Daniels also joining the organization as director of pitching. The Rockies also hired Brett Pill as hitting coach and Jeff Pickler as bench coach.
González, 44, is currently managing a Leones de Ponce club that occupies second place in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and he moved from assistant hitting coach to third-base coach after Schaeffer was promoted in the wake of Black’s departure. González, who joined the Rockies’ Minor League system in 2019 and held various coaching and managerial duties, became Colorado's assistant hitting coach in 2023.
A former utility player with the White Sox, Cleveland and the Marlins (2007-09), González will continue working with the infielders.
Pacheco had been the Triple-A Albuquerque hitting coach since 2022 at the time he was brought to the Major League staff after Schaeffer became manager. Clint Hurdle, who replaced Hensley Meulens as hitting coach on April 17, became Schaeffer’s bench coach to replace Mike Redmond, who was relieved along with Black.
Pacheco, 39, was a catcher and utility player with the Rockies (2011-14), Diamondbacks (2014-15) and Reds (2016), and continued his career in the Minors and independent ball before retiring and joining the Rockies’ system as a coach.
Gideon, 61, is heading into his 35th season in professional coaching and 31st with the Rockies’ organization. He joined the Major League staff as a coach in 2017 and was named first-base coach in 2019.
In recent seasons, Gideon has worked with outfielders. His new role potentially is coordinating much of the pregame work at various positions, with the team expecting a young squad and looking to incorporate increased data and new teaching methods.
Also, bullpen catchers Chris Rabago and Kyle Cunningham will return. Rabago, 32, a former catcher in the Rockies’, Yankees’ and Tigers’ systems, will instruct the team’s catchers. Rabago’s older brother, Hector, is a bullpen catcher and assistant catching coach with the Phillies.
Cunningham, 31, will have game-planning responsibilities.