4:57pm: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets that Milwaukee general manager David Stearns has confirmed that Johnson is leaving the organization. The Brewers had “extensive” negotiations in an effort to retain Johnson, Stearns said, but it seems the two sides ultimately could not reach an agreement.
4:50pm: The Brewers are set for yet another coaching change, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that pitching coach Derek Johnson is leaving the organization to join the Reds in the same capacity. Milwaukee previously saw hitting coach Darnell Coles step down, and he was announced as the new hitting coach for the Diamondbacks earlier today.
To this point, the entirety of Johnson’s coaching career in pro ball has come in the National League Central. He spent the 2013-15 seasons as the Cubs’ minor league pitching coordinator and has served as Milwaukee’s pitching coach from 2016-18 before jumping ship to the division-rival Reds. Prior to that, he spent 11 seasons as the pitching coach at Vanderbilt, working with numerous future big leaguers, including first-rounders David Price, Mike Minor and Sonny Gray.
Johnson will be the first staff hire under newly minted skipper David Bell on a Reds staff that figures to see its own fair share of turnover following the early-season dismissal of Bryan Price and the recent departure of interim manager Jim Riggleman.
I’m good with this hire.
Glad it meets your approval
Which opens up Milwaukee to get Bryan Price as their pitching coach.
ATL also looking
It would be helpful for some added context. By all accounts, a solid all around Brewers team and front office, that on paper should be a competitive team going forward, has a hitting coach step down and their pitching coach make a lateral move to a lesser developed team? Did I get that right? Probably nothing, but weird optics if I may say.
I totally agree, this looks very bad. Are the dbacks not expected to pull back their competitive efforts?
There has to be something going on here, like counsell quitting and getting everybody jobs before he goes.
I hope I’m just paranoid.
More money probably
This is hard to understand from the Brewers’ point of view. Almost every healthy pitcher performed better than expected under him. Why did they let him get away?
He must enjoy impossible tasks…like making the Reds pitching staff good
Or he might like to have more input when it comes to decisions regarding the pitching staff. Stearns is Luhnow 2.0 when it comes to the usage of analytics
And who’d want to mimic what those disheveled Astros do.
You’re a jerk.
Or he doesn’t like working with a total tool in Counsell
??? This comment has reached new levels of trolling. Please find a legit source where anyone in the league has implied Counsell is anything but a class act.
He’s a stupid Cubs fan that comes here just to troll. Ignore him and it’s a matter of time before he goes away, just like the cubs NL central lead this season.
I think the reds should get bounce back candidate SPs like Sonny Gray in the offseason.
Johnson was Grays pitching coach at Vanderbilt, and his college catcher is also on the roster. This was an excellent move by the Reds who also signed international scouting talent from the Rangers
Uh oh. Major loss for Milwaukee. Going to be much, much harder cobbling together all these failed SPs without Johnson.
He found a way to get Wade Miley throwing strikes so by all means he deserves a raise
Miley had 4 crummy years till 2018.
Could be Johnson. Could be free agency approaching…..
I remember Ubaldo Jiminez sucking with the Rockies and then with the Indians. With 3/4’s of his walk year left, he finally listened to the coaches. The Orioles gave Ubaldo 4 years with big bucks. In turn, he gave them 4 awful years…..ignoring his coaches. No other team would take him, so the Orioles rolled him out to pitch. After his age 33 season in 2017 he left MLB a wealthy man.
Wiley and Johnson will be interesting to watch in 2019. What if Wiley follows to Cincy? I’m telling you, The NL is far behind the AL, and the NL Central is the most overrated division in MLB.
What an ignorant comment
Explain why, Snarky.
In 2918 the A’s, Mariners, and even Rays could have represented the NL in the WS.
There is nothing approaching a complete team in the NL. They all have major holes. With half-decent pitching the Reds can win the NL Central in 2019.
Some people just love to hate. I wouldn’t get upset about a troll. He is right that with a GOOD pitching staff the Reds could win the NL Central. 1 – 6 should be very solid, and the back end of the rotation is strong. They need 2 quality Starters via FA, or trade.
Don’t listen to this troll, he thinks the royals will win the AL central next year.
@Samuel – if the Mariners were in the NL, they would not have made the playoffs, so i don’t know why you think they could’ve been in the WS. Mariners had a lower W% than the lowest seed in the NL (Rockies)
In 2918 maybe, but in 2018 the Ms went 6-14 in inter league play and the Rays went 7-14.
“Don’t listen to this troll, he thinks the royals will win the AL central next year.”
baseball1600;
Do you work for the mainstream media?
I said the Indians would cruise to the AL Central in 2019, but that when the 4 other teams rebuilds were finished the Royals would dominate the division.
Hope he gets paid well.
Good chance this is the reason.
Could be any number of reasons, money being a big one. But he might not had liked some intrusion from upstairs (see Hickey, Jim). Of course, the Reds have John Farrell rummaging around in the attic over there, so………
I would’ve really like to see him stay, Hopefully he was just wanting to move on and he left only cause of wanting a bigger challenge, safe to say his replacement won’t be Peterson or Bosio. Could handle Maddux back
Bosio? You’re kidding right, he lasted 2 months in Detroit, he shouldn’t ever get another MLB job.
Because some cup cake got offended? Please.
That is why I said it’s safe to say it won’t be Peterson or Bosio. Bosio only lasted 2 months and if you remember he also accused Thames for being on PEDs last April. Not upset just guessing you misread my comment no big deal
Damn he’s a good pitching coach, Cole sucked so we can do without him but Johnson did a great job
Wow look at the Refs hiring actual capable coaches.
Really unbelievable that the Brewers let DJ get away. He was unbelievable last year. Turned average pitchers into studs and always righted the ship after a mound visit. His best talent was knowing his staff and knowing when to pull a guy before too much damage was done. Sterns you messed up big time letting this guy leave Milwaukee.