Brewers Have Their New Pitching Coach - Cubs' Minor League Pitching Coordinator Derek Johnson

[Never Outhustled]

Yes I am and I considered it a tremendous waste of resources when they moved him up from the pitching coordinator to the MLB bullpen. Instead of being able to have an impact at every level of the organization he's only dealing with a handful of players in any one season.

 

I'm sure it was better for Lee on a personal level as he's on the road half as much, and of course he's getting paid more, but I would have rather paid him the same or more to stay in the role he was occupying at the time of the promotion.

 

The title of bullpen coach is very misleading. Tunnel really is the assistant pitching coach. He helps Johnson coach both starters and relievers.

 

The Brewers pitching has been much better since mid-season. Johnson will prove to be the organization's best coaching hire possibly ever.

[1992casey]

There was a time when most bullpen coaches were former catchers. The Brewers were ahead of the curve when they started putting former pitchers in that position.

 

It's pretty clear what Johnson and Tunnell do during games, but it'd be a tough call to speculate on how each of them divide the workload outside of game action. Obviously, it'd be safe to assume that Johnson runs the show. But part of that would hopefully be using Lee's input and talents to everyone's best advantage.

 

At this point, there've been both success and failures on the pitching staff, but I don't think we have the evidence to be able to pinpoint any credit or blame. So for now, I'm willing to spread that credit/blame among the pitching/bullpen coaches, Counsell, Stearns, and the pitchers themselves.

[pacopete4]

I just hope we get out of the routine of having 1-2 pitchers that completely train wreck our season to begin the year. Whether it is Garza/Lohse, Suppan/Wolf, Peralta/Junmgmann. It just always seems to the the story of the Brewers.

[adambr2]

I don't know whether to blame Johnson for this rotation or if it's just a reality that we have a rotation full of #5 starters.