Alon Leichman Commits Fully to Rockies, Steps Down from Team Israel for WBC

Alon Leichman steps away from Team Israel's WBC roster, committing fully to fixing the Rockies' historically bad pitching staff.

Cincinnati Reds assistant pitching coach Alon Leichman throws live batting practice during spring training workouts, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at the team's spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colorado Rockies' new pitching coach made a difficult choice between representing his homeland and rebuilding one of baseball's most struggling staffs. Alon Leichman withdrew from the 2026 World Baseball Classic to focus entirely on fixing Colorado's historically bad pitching.

Leichman Withdraws from World Baseball Classic Duties

Apr 7, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of a Colorado Rockies flag before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images / Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images

The Rockies' newly hired pitching coach won't suit up for Team Israel at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. Leichman accepted Colorado's offer on December 8 and decided his first year with the organization requires his complete attention.

"Out of respect to Israel and for the Rockies, I felt like I can't be in both places, especially with it being my first year with a new team."

Walking away from Israel's national team wasn't easy for the 36-year-old. Leichman pitched at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and worked as Israel's bullpen coach when they competed in the 2017 tournament. He spent over a decade wearing the blue and white as both a player and instructor.

The sacrifice highlights the magnitude of the rebuilding project in Denver. Colorado's rotation posted a 6.65 ERA last season, the ugliest mark for any starting staff since both leagues started tracking ERA officially in 1913. Leichman joins manager Warren Schaeffer's overhauled coaching staff tasked with fixing that disaster.

Innovative Approach to Altitude Challenges

The new pitching coach isn't walking into Denver blind about elevation issues. During his time running the pitching staff at Triple-A Tacoma, the Pacific Coast League schedule included frequent trips to high-altitude venues in Albuquerque and Salt Lake City.

"I was lucky enough to coach in Triple-A in the Pacific Coast League – it's not easy, it's going to be a challenge. But I think you'll be surprised, and we'll find some creative ways to combat that and do the best we can to be as bulletproof as possible in Denver and transitioning back and forth," he said.

Miami employed Leichman as their assistant pitching coach in 2025, where he helped roll out dugout-based pitch calling near season's end. He and Schaeffer haven't committed to using that system in Colorado.

He's also interested in bringing back live batting practice sessions between starts. Miami experimented with having pitchers face real hitters during the week, using both players on rehab assignments and regular position players looking for extra at-bats. The practice used to be common but has mostly disappeared from modern baseball.

The new coach's path to the Majors started differently than most. Growing up at Kibbutz Gezer in Israel meant learning baseball in a place where the sport barely existed. Teenagers taught younger kids because qualified coaches were impossible to find.

Leichman eventually played college ball at UC San Diego before Seattle hired him in 2017 for a player development role. He climbed through their minor league system as a coach before Cincinnati brought him to the Majors in 2023, making history as MLB's first Israeli-born coach.

Colorado needs to reverse three straight 100-loss campaigns under president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta's new regime. Giving up the World Baseball Classic shows just how serious Leichman is about bringing new approaches to a pitching staff that desperately needs them.

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