The framework for the Rockies’ massive rebuilding project added another support beam on Friday.
The club named Brett Pill as its new hitting coach. It will be Pill’s job to resurrect one of the major leagues’ worst offenses.
Pill, 41, is leaving one of the best organizations in baseball to come to Colorado. He spent the last six years in the Dodgers organization, most recently serving as the minor league hitting coordinator from 2023–25, following three seasons (2020–22) as a minor league hitting coach. Before his time with the Dodgers, Pill spent three seasons (2017–19) as an international scout for the Kia Tigers of the KBO.
Pill will be tasked with jump-starting a dormant offense featuring many young players. Last season, en route to losing 119 games, Colorado’s 25.9% strikeout rate was the second-highest in the majors, and its 31.7% chase rate was the highest.
Meanwhile, the Rockies’ .293 on-base percentage was the lowest in the majors and the lowest in franchise history. Colorado’s team batting average (.237) was also the lowest in franchise history — five points lower than the .242 average of the 2024 squad.
Despite playing its home games at Coors Field, the Rockies hit just 160 homers, the sixth-fewest in baseball. The Rockies’ .679 OPS was the fourth-lowest in baseball.
Manager Warren Schaffer, recently hired full-time after his stint as the Rockies’ interim manager during most of the 2025 season, envisions an offense that takes more unselfish at-bats, strikes out much less, and is aggressive on the basepaths.
Home runs are great, of course, but Schaeffer doesn’t view them as a be-all, end-all. He wants an offense that not only dominates at Coors Field, but also gives the Rockies a fighting chance on the road.
“I care about guys who put the ball in play on a highly consistent basis,” he told The Post late in the season. “That plays at Coors Field.”
Pill joins pitching coach Alon Leichman, assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, and bullpen coach Matt Buschmann as part of Schaeffer’s staff.
Pill, a native of San Dimas, Calif., was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the draft in 2006 out of Cal State Fullerton. He played 11 professional seasons as an infielder and outfielder, including parts of three major league seasons with the Giants from 2011-13, appearing in 48 games during the Giants’ 2012 World Series Championship season.
In his major league career, Pill slashed .233/.279/.404 with nine home runs in 111 games.
Pill’s hire leaves the duties of the interim hitting coaches, Nic Wilson and Jordan Pacheco, unknown, at least for now. President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said last week that Wilson and Pacheco would likely remain with the Rockies in some capacity.
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