ORLANDO, Fla. — Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer and the rebuilt front office have been working long hours to formalize the team’s staff for 2026.

On Tuesday, not only did the Rockies solidify who would be the key leaders in an effort to rebuild their pitching philosophies, Schaeffer couldn’t control his enthusiasm once the staff announcements were final.

“In terms of Rockies history, this is one of the most exciting moments for us,” Schaeffer said, sitting next to president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta on Tuesday night inside the Rockies’ Waldorf Astoria compound.

It may not bring the goose bumps of Rocktober 2007 or Nolan Arenado’s Father’s Day cycle at Coors Field just yet, but the Rockies believe the reinvention of pitching at elevation and throughout the Rockies organization has officially begun.

Colorado on Tuesday announced Alon Leichman as the team’s pitching coach, Gabe Ribas as the assistant pitching coach, Matt Buschmann as the bullpen coach and Matt Daniels as the organization’s director of pitching. All four arrive in Colorado from outside the organization and will be tasked with not only improving the Rockies at the Major League level, but also in upping the skills of pitching prospects at all levels of the franchise.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Matt Buschmann throws against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

“The four guys who have been brought in are game-changers,” Schaeffer said. “They get players better. They have a good feel for the game. They know the tech. They know the analytics. They know how to give guys new arsenals. They know how to deal with pitch shapes. It’s just the whole gamut.”

Leichman spent 2025 with the Miami Marlins as the assistant pitching coach and assistant pitching director following two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds in the same role. On Tuesday, individuals within the Marlins organization described Leichman to The Denver Gazette as “a great communicator” and “a tremendous hire for the Rockies who will be missed in south Florida.”

“Alon is top notch. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pitching coach out there than him,” Schaeffer said. “I’ll keep saying over and over again, the ability to get players better is outstanding.”

Ribas has spent the past five seasons as the director of pitching for the Detroit Tigers, a timeline that coincides with Tarik Skubal winning two straight American League Cy Young Awards. Buschmann has been a special advisor with the Chicago Cubs for the last two seasons and Daniels was the pitching development and acquisitions specialist with the Minnesota Twins from 2023 through 2025.

“We interviewed a bunch of people,” DePodesta said. “Then, I think at times, we were sitting there thinking that this could be a bit of a pipe dream, but can you imagine if we get three of these guys? Then we started thinking maybe there’s a way we could get four of them.

“The mix of these four in particular just felt like the right fit for us.”

Colorado Rockies new president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, front, responds to questions as Dick Monfort, chairman and chief executive officer of the team, looks on during a news conference introducing DePodesta, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes said earlier Tuesday that Colorado was looking to “reimagine” what kind of pitching will work at elevation and how to make sure Rockies pitchers are built to succeed both in Denver and on the road.

Byrnes believes the Rockies bullpen has pieces in Seth Halvorsen, Victor Vodnik, Jimmy Herget and others to succeed with new pitching leadership in place.

“I think it’s a real strength and I think it’s actually pretty exciting,” Byrnes said Tuesday of Colorado’s bullpen. “It’s young guys, solid stuff, different looks and some Major League success now. I think there’s a lot there.”

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, left, shakes hands with relief pitcher Seth Halvorsen, right, after the Rockies defeated the Cleveland Guardians in a baseball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The reimagination of the Rockies on the mound is leading to discussions about how Colorado can sustain success with its pitchers brought up through the system and perhaps, down the road, even turn Denver into a place where free agent pitchers might want to land.

“Part of the reason I think we’re so excited about this group and getting them together is because they’re all very creative and very open-minded,” DePodesta said. “We kicked around a lot of different ideas, even just during this process that we’d like to explore further. I can’t say exactly where it’s going to end up as of today, but I think we’re going to be looking at a lot of different things.

“There was one thing in particular that Alon asked me. He said, ‘Is this (idea) on the table?’ I said, ‘Absolutely right. It’s all on the table. I’m not saying yes just yet, but it’s certainly on the table.’”