Pitching coach Johnson draws praise
CHICAGO – After a successful outing by a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, it’s not uncommon to hear pitching coach Derek Johnson’s name come up. After recent shutout appearances, both Junior Guerra and Jhoulys Chacín mentioned things Johnson had helped incorporate into their game plan. Others, such as Chase Anderson, have effusively praised Johnson for making them better pitchers since he joined the Brewers’ staff before the 2016 season.
“I do think it’s an ongoing process,” manager Craig Counsell said Sunday. “With Jhoulys, for D.J., he’s entering the sweet spot. The trust has been established; there’s a foundation there. D.J. has seen him pitch and Jhoulys has got feedback from him 10 or 12 times, or 15 to 20 if you include spring training. So, they’re in a good spot there.
“The other part is that a strength of D.J. is the teaching and the quest for improvement never ends. There’s always things they can get better at, or things that keep them on a good path. That’s a real strength of D.J.’s”
As for Johnson helping pitchers continue to get better at the big-league level, Counsell said, “He has done it for three years. He has made a lot of guys better. He is somebody I lean on heavily. We spend time in conversation every day.
“Most importantly, he has positively impacted a number of our guys and continues to do so. Junior is a good example. It’s not always an even road; the road is not always perfectly even. But they found a way to get Junior back to a really good place. Credit goes to the player as well.”
When Counsell put his coaching staff together for the 2016 season, after taking over as manager early in the ’15 campaign, he emphasized that teaching would be important, particularly with a club that was rebuilding and would be giving inexperienced players their chance. Johnson was coaching in the Chicago Cubs’ system at the time but had made a name as the pitching coach at Vanderbilt, which rose to national prominence during his tenure with pitchers such as David Price, Sonny
Gray and Mike Minor.
“That’s his strength,” Counsell said of the teaching element of coaching. “He’s got a program he has been using. The college mentality is teaching, teaching, teaching. You’re always starting over with a freshman you are having to teach. It plays here; it works here.”
Part of the coaching also is recognizing when less is more, and Counsell noted that Johnson has helped left-hander
Brent Suter improve throughout the season by limiting some of the information given to the pitcher.
“I think that’s been a learning process for all of us, actually,” Counsell said. “We’ve all come to that conclusion together, with Brent. He’s obviously a player who can handle a lot of information. But the one thing we have to do is stick to a player’s strengths, instead of trying to figure out what the other players’ weaknesses are.
“We have to stick to what our guys are good at. That’s what we’re trying to do with Brent.”
Entering play Sunday, the Brewers had the fifth-ranked pitching staff in the National League with a 3.47 earned run average, holding opponents to a .228 batting average. Much of that standing was built on the work of the bullpen, which ranked second behind Arizona with a 2.55 ERA. The starting rotation, which has remained in flux due to injury and illness, ranked 10th with a 4.14 ERA.
DRAFT IS COMING: The majorleague draft begins Monday evening, with the Brewers holding the 21st pick in the first round. The only other time the franchise picked 21st it was known as the Seattle Pilots, who chose Gorman
Thomas in 1969. Brewers fans would consider that selection an unqualified success.
The draft is shaping up to be one of the better ones for prep prospects in the state of Wisconsin, led by outfielder
Jarred Kelenic of Waukesha West High School, projected to go in the top half of the first round. The first day will include Rounds 1 and 2, as well as Competitive Balance Rounds A and B.
When the draft resumes Tuesday with Round 3, state prep players sure to be selected at some point include catcher Jacob Campbell of Janesville Craig, third baseman/first baseman Alex Binelas of Oak Creek and right-hander / first baseman Max Alba of Franklin.
Pitchers Austin Jones of UW-Whitewater and Nate Brown of Madison Junior College also should hear their names called before the draft ends later Wednesday.
“I think it’s going to be an exciting year for the state,” said Brewers bullpen coach Marcus Hanel, who has worked with many of the prep stars at the Hitters Academy in Racine. “I know the Campbell kid is a really good catcher. It’s good to see (so many being considered for the draft).”