Now that Paul DePodesta has been 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 major undertaking: a top-to-bottom assessment of the organization and potential seismic changes.
“Let’s be honest: this wouldn’t be the most traditional recruitment,” DePodesta said this during his introductory press conference on Thursday. “It immediately showed me that there was a real openness to doing things differently, to trying a few things. I think from the beginning in our very first conversation, I got the feeling, ‘We know we’ve been doing things a certain way for a while and they haven’t worked the way we wanted. We’re ready for change, and we’re ready to bring someone here to make that change.'”
MLB.com Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding reported this on Friday morning that changes are already underway, and that the Rockies have parted ways with several key members of their coaching and player development staffs, with an emphasis on pitching.
Doug Linton, 60, has been with the Rockies organization since 2006. After an 18-year pitching career in Major and Minor League baseball – and several seasons in Asia – he served as pitching coach for the then-affiliated Tri-City Dust Devils, Modesto Nuts and Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He was named the Rockies’ pitching coordinator in 2013, a position he held until his departure.
Flint Wallace, 51, was a potential option for the Rockies’ new pitching coach following the departure of Darryl Scott earlier this season. He joined the Rockies prior to the 2021 season as a minor and major league pitching coordinator and most recently served as the Rockies’ pitching strategies coordinator. He was the pitching coach for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League this season.
Chris Michalak, 54, served as the pitching coach for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes from 2023. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the Isotopes struggled on the mound. In three seasons as Michalak was pitching coach, the Isotopes pitching staff ranked in the bottom three for team ERA each year. In 2025, their team ERA of 5.97 was third-worst in the PCL.
The focus on pitching is no surprise as the Rockies have struggled on the mound during their stretch of seven consecutive losing seasons. Executive Vice President Walker Monfort alluded to the focus on pitching during DePodesta’s introductory press conference on Thursday.
“I’m incredibly interested in pitching, not just for the Rockies, but for the entire organization,” Monfort said. “What role I have in that is probably very small. One of the things that’s exciting about Paul is his problem-solving mentality – his ability to look at things differently than might be standard.”
The Rockies have also parted ways with Trevor Burmeister, who became coach for the High-A Spokane Indians. Burmeister first joined the organization in 2020 as hitting coach for the rookie league Grand Junction Rockies. He also served as hitting coach for the Arizona Complex League Rockies and Low-A Fresno Grizzlies before moving to Spokane in 2025.
The Spokane Indians, defending the 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 only had one hitter with a wRC+ above 100 and two with an OPS of .800 or better at the end of the season.
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