Derek Johnson (baseball)

Derek Johnson (born July 16, 1971) is an American professional baseball coach. He is the director of pitching for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also served as the pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers of MLB and in college baseball for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, Southern Illinois Salukis, Stetson Hatters, and Vanderbilt Commodores.

Derek Johnson
Cincinnati Reds – No. 36
Coach
Born: (1971-07-16) July 16, 1971[1]
Gibson City, Illinois
Teams
As coach
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

Johnson was born in Gibson City, Illinois.[2] He graduated from University High School in Normal, Illinois, in 1989.[3] Johnson attended Eastern Illinois University, where he played college baseball for the Eastern Illinois Panthers.[4]

After graduating from Eastern Illinois, he remained with the program as a pitching coach for the 1994 season. He coached in college baseball for the Southern Illinois Salukis of Southern Illinois University from 1995 through 1997, and the Stetson Hatters of Stetson University from 1998 through 2001.[5]

Johnson was the pitching coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team from 2002 to 2012.[6] In 2010, he was named the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year.[7] In 2012, he left Vanderbilt to be the minor league pitching coordinator for the Chicago Cubs.[8] Prior to the 2016 season, the Milwaukee Brewers hired Johnson to be their pitching coach.[9][10] After the 2018 season he quit the job with the Brewers to take on the same position with the Cincinnati Reds.[11] Baseball America named Johnson the major league coach of the year in 2019.[12] After the 2021 season, the Reds promoted Johnson to director of pitching, in addition to his duties as the major league pitching coach, and signed him to a contract extension.[13]

Personal life

Johnson and his wife, Tasha, have two children. They live in Nashville, Tennessee, during the offseason.[14]

References
  1. 2010 Vanderbilt Baseball Media Guide. Vanderbilt Athletics. p. 49.
  2. "Get to Know Q&A: Pitching coach Derek Johnson an anonymous but integral part of Brewers".
  3. "Brewers' job came 'out of nowhere' for U High grad Johnson | Chicago Cubs". pantagraph.com. November 8, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  4. Haudricourt, Tom (April 12, 2016). "Derek Johnson brings unique background to job as Brewers pitching coach". Archive.jsonline.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  5. Jablonski, David. "Reports: Brewers pitching coach joins Bell's staff in Cincinnati". daytondailynews.
  6. "Johnson interested in what drives hurlers". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  7. "ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year". www.abca.org. AMERICAN BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  8. "Vanderbilt assistant coach gets called up to the pros". Usatoday.com. October 29, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  9. Varela, Ashley (October 22, 2015). "Derek Johnson leaves Cubs to become Brewers pitching coach". Mlb.nbcsports.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  10. Haudricourt, Tom (October 22, 2015). "Brewers will hire Derek Johnson as pitching coach". Jsonline.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  11. Steve Adams (October 31, 2018). "Reds Hire Brewers Pitching Coach Derek Johnson". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  12. "MLB Coach Of The Year: Derek Johnson". Baseball America. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  13. "Derek Johnson promoted to Reds director of pitching". Mlb.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  14. "Brewers' Johnson pitches in at reading time".
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