With Paul DePodesta formally introduced as the new president of baseball operations for the Colorado Rockies, the team’s offseason can begin in earnest. The first task for DePodesta is a large undertaking:
a top-to-bottom evaluation of the organization and potential seismic changes.
“Let’s be candid: This wasn’t going to be the most traditional hire,” DePodesta said in his introductory press conference on Thursday. “It showed me right away that there was a real open-mindedness to do things differently, try some things. From the beginning, I think in our very first conversation, I got that sense that, ‘We know we’ve done things a certain way for a while and they haven’t worked the way we wanted. We’re ready for a change, and we’re ready to bring someone in here to effect that change.'”
MLB.com Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding reported Friday morning that changes are already underway, and the Rockies have parted ways with several significant members of their coaching and player development staff with an emphasis on pitching.
Doug Linton, 60, has been with the Rockies organization since 2006. After an 18-year pitching career across major and minor league baseball—and several seasons in Asia—he served as a pitching coach for the then-affiliated Tri-City Dust Devils, Modesto Nuts, and Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He was appointed the Rockies’ pitching coordinator in 2013, a position he has held until his departure.
Flint Wallace, 51, was a potential option for the Rockies’ new pitching coach with the departure of Darryl Scott earlier this offseason. He joined the Rockies prior to the 2021 season as a minor and major league pitching coordinator and most recently acted as the Rockies’ coordinator of pitching strategies. He was the pitching coach for the Arizona Fall League’s Salt River Rafters this season.
Chris Michalak, 54, served as the pitching coach for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes starting in 2023. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the Isotopes have struggled on the mound. In the three seasons Michalak served as pitching coach, the Isotopes pitching staff ranked in the bottom three for team ERA each year. In 2025 their 5.97 team ERA was third-worst in the PCL.
The focus on pitching isn’t a surprise, as the Rockies have struggled on the mound during their stretch of seven consecutive losing seasons. Executive vice president Walker Monfort alluded to a focus on pitching during DePodesta’s introductory press conference on Thursday.
“I’m incredibly interested in pitching, not only for the Rockies but throughout our organization,” Monfort said. “Now what role I have in that is probably very little. One of the things that’s exciting about Paul is his problem-solving mentality — his ability to look at things differently than maybe is standard.”
The Rockies have also parted ways with Trevor Burmeister, hitting coach for the High-A Spokane Indians. Burmeister first joined the organization in 2020 as the hitting coach for the rookie league Grand Junction Rockies. He also served as the hitting coach for the Arizona Complex League Rockies and Low-A Fresno Grizzlies before moving up to Spokane in 2025.
The Spokane Indians—defending Northwest League Champions—struggled offensively during the 2025 season. The Indians had the fewest total RBIs, lowest team OPS, fewest total walks, second fewest home runs, and second fewest total runs of any team in the Northwest League. They also had just one hitter at the end of the season with a wRC+ above 100 and two with an OPS of .800 or better.
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