Colorado Rockies hire Ethan Katz as Major League Pitching Coach | Purple Row

Colorado Rockies hire Ethan Katz as Major League Pitching Coach | Purple Row

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According to Purple Row, the Colorado Rockies revealed on Monday afternoon that Ethan Katz has been appointed as their incoming pitching coach for the 2027 Major League Baseball season. Katz takes over the big league staff under pitching director Matt Daniels following the dismissal of Alon Leichman earlier this off-season.

Leichman was ousted after a single season in which the Rockies pitching staff struggled to a league-worst 5.99 ERA. The organization moved quickly to install Katz, a 43-year-old right-hander who was originally selected by the Rockies in the 26th round of the 2005 draft. Katz spent four seasons in the club’s farm system from 2005 through 2008, logging a 2.79 combined ERA across 102 appearances and 177.1 innings, mostly out of the bullpen, before playing independent baseball in 2009.

A Coaching Journey Through High School, Minors, and the Majors

Katz transitioned to coaching at Harvard-Westlake High School in California from 2009 to 2013, where he mentored future major leaguers Max Fried, Lucas Giolito, and Jack Flaherty. He entered professional coaching in 2013 within the minor league systems of the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners, later serving as the San Francisco Giants’ assistant minor league pitching coach in 2019 and assistant pitching coach for the shortened 2020 season.

The Colorado Rockies Hire Ethan Katz as Pitching Coach

The Chicago White Sox hired Katz as their MLB pitching coach ahead of the 2021 campaign. In his first year in Chicago, the pitching staff anchored itself among the league’s elite with a 3.73 ERA—fifth best in the league—powered by rotation arms like Carlos Rodón, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Giolito, alongside a bullpen featuring Garrett Crochet, Liam Hendriks, and Michael Kopech. Performance dipped in subsequent seasons as the White Sox team ERA climbed to 3.92 in 2022, 4.87 in 2023, and 4.67 in 2024 during a season where the White Sox set the modern era record for most losses in a single season. After a slight rebound to a 4.26 ERA in 2025, manager Will Venable and the front office parted ways with Katz as part of a rebuilding effort.

Recent Stints and the Road Ahead in Denver

Katz spent the 2026 season as the assistant pitching coach for the Houston Astros. The Astros captured their division title without a winning record and bowed out early in the post-season, with their pitching staff finishing at a 4.45 ERA. Following the conclusion of the campaign, Houston let go of Katz alongside manager Joe Espada amid circulating reports that Katz had previously been blocked from interviewing for a promotion elsewhere prior to his dismissal.

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Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer expressed enthusiasm for the addition via text message, stating:

We are very excited to add Ethan to our staff. We love the experience he brings in this role as well as his track record of getting pitchers better on a consistent basis. He is a tireless worker, and players rave about him across the league. Can’t wait to start working with him! Warren Schaeffer

Katz now faces the task of stabilizing a Colorado pitching infrastructure seeking significant improvement after a difficult season.

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