David Bell has made his first hire as the Cincinnati Reds new manager and it’s a good one. Derek Johnson, pitching coach of the Milwaukee Brewers, will occupy the same role with the Reds next season. While most fans are eager to see which free agents the Reds pursue this offseason, landing Johnson may be a bigger move than any player they sign this winter.
Derek Johnson has a very good track record. He replaced Rick Kranitz as the Brewers pitching coach following the 2015 season. Before that he spent a few seasons in the Chicago Cubs minor league system after 11 seasons as the pitching coach at Vanderbilt University.