Overview
- Reports from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Keith Law said the Rockies parted ways with Leichman on Thursday but the team had not issued official confirmation at the time of reporting.
- Leichman was hired last December by president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta to lead a revamped pitching staff after previous MLB roles with the Reds, Marlins and time coaching Team Israel.
- The decision follows a 2026 season in which Colorado finished with a 5.59 team ERA, the fewest strikeouts in the majors, and its fourth straight 100-loss campaign.
- The staff showed early promise in March and April with a 4.19 ERA and 249 strikeouts while experimenting with tactics like calling pitches from the dugout, but the rotation collapsed in the second half.
- The club now needs to hire a new pitching coach and decide whether assistant coach Gabe Ribas, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann, and director of pitching Matt Daniels will stay, a choice that will shape the Rockies’ multi-year rebuilding work on pitching development.