Rockies’ Pitching Coach Unintentionally Could Be Starting A New Trend

Being prepared and communicating before a matchup can give one's team an edge over its opponent. The Colorado Rockies' pitching coach, Alon Leichman, tries to do everything in his power to keep his pitchers ready and to give them a plan for what to throw to a specific hitter. This has grown to include making pitching suggestions from the steps of the dugout.

Baseball analytics and sabermetrics have taken over baseball for years now. MLB is constantly looking for ways to make changes. Suggesting pitches from the dugout is not new, but it has become a trending philosophy as teams use it to achieve positive outcomes in a game.

The Rockies May Be Pioneers of a New Trend

Miami Marlins assistant pitching coach Alon Leichman | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Colorado is off to another rough start to its season. Pitching has been in a funk. The problems started escalating during the San Diego Padres series.

Before the Padres, from April 4-8, the Rockies' pitching held opponents to four runs or fewer, except on April 6, when they allowed seven runs to the Houston Astros. The Rockies went on a four-game winning streak, during which they swept the Astros.

Their veteran pitcher, Kyle Freeland, who struggled last season, delivered his best performance this year on April 7 when he tossed six innings, gave up just one earned run, and struck out five Astros.

Their record is now 7-12, and they will face their biggest test of the season, the NL West division rival Los Angeles Dodgers, for a weekend series.

Whatever worked for Leichman and the Rockies last week, they must go back to that idea, because the analytics didn’t work for them in six of their last seven games.

Leichman, 36, never played at a professional level, but he is clear that he will need a strong strategy to get his pitchers to beat the Dodgers.

Dealing with a lineup led by 4x MVP Shohei Ohtani can be quite stressful for any coach; unfortunately, the Rockies don’t have to deal with just Ohtani, but everyone in the lineup. That’s how good the Dodgers are.

The Rockies' pitching crew this season has an ERA of 4.00. In 2025, the team had an even worse ERA with 5.97. If they slip up against the Dodgers, things will continue to go downhill, where the ERA could approach 7.0, and that’s not to exaggerate.

Walking Ohtani won’t solve their problem. Suggesting pitching from the dugout might not be the solution either, but it could be a start. It’s about studying the opponents relentlessly and working on the craft before the matchup.

Leichman had an interesting thought about the Miami Marlins when it came to connecting with the catcher and the pitcher about what to throw. Leichman believes we could see this more often in the next five years.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Dennis Linn, Leichman talked about the idea of suggesting pitching from the dugout.

“I’ll steal this from Peter Bendix,” Leichman said, referring to the Marlins’ president of baseball operations. “Within five years, two-thirds of the league could be doing this.”

Leichman used to be the Marlins' assistant pitching coach. As for the Rockies pitchers, they respect Leichman and will follow his lead. The players look at Leichman as someone they can identify with and appreciate his communication.

The players might see this possible trend as a way to adapt to new changes and challenges. Some baseball fans don’t tune in to college baseball because it doesn’t capture the same magic or entertainment compared to college basketball and football. Giving pitching signs or suggesting between coaches and players has been going on for a long time at the college level.

Being at Coors Field this weekend for a four-game series might bring some comfort rather than going to Los Angeles and dealing with that loud crowd.

Regardless of any strategy they have in mind, the Rockies will have to play intelligent baseball to the 10th power to beat this Dodgers team. Getting a split at home is a thumbs-up for the young core.

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