Wes Johnson News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/wes-johnson/ Minnesota sports, but different Tue, 19 Jul 2022 00:34:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Wes Johnson News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/wes-johnson/ 32 32 Numbers Say Twins Pitchers Miss Wes Johnson Already https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/numbers-say-minnesota-twins-pitchers-miss-wes-johnson-already/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 00:34:38 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39808 The Minnesota Twins were very deliberate with their pitching staff during the first half of this 2022 season. The formula has been obvious. Get the starter through the opposing batting lineup two times and hand things over to the bullpen. While Wes Johnson was in charge of pitchers, the philosophy worked remarkably well, given the talent he was dealing with.

Under Johnson this season (79 games), the Twins pitching staff held a 3.71 ERA, and 1.220 WHIP. The team’s W/L record was 43-36 in those games. Wes left the team after their matchup vs Cleveland on June 30. The Twins have played 15 games since his departure and posted a 7-8 record in that stretch. Their cumulative ERA 5.04, WHIP up to 1.366.

Baseball-Reference

And if we’re being honest, the numbers are better than I expected. Because it sure feels like the Minnesota Twins are giving up 6-12 runs per game lately and that every loss they pile up comes in blowout fashion. If you’ve been watching this pitching staff on a night in, night out basis; it’s clear they’ve lost confidence.

Is that lack of confidence a reflection of Wes Johnson’s absence? We have no idea. A longer sample size as the season goes on will help tell a better story. But even if the pitchers continue to struggle, we may never know the linchpin to the staff’s eventual implosion.

Don’t wait to find out

No matter what the reason, for the Minnesota Twins’ current struggles on the mound, there are plenty of options available for them to help their own cause. This is a franchise that has never made a major trade for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

If they want to remain in the AL Central lead, which is now down to just TWO games, and win an eventual playoff series, they have no choice but to upgrade their pitching staff. Good coaching cannot make up for a lack of talent. Not over 162 games.

So if the higher ups at Target Field want to soften the hit of Wes Johnson’s exodus, they need to get high end help in both the starting rotation and in the bullpen.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:34:43 +0000 Minnesota Twins LSU Term Sheet Reveals More Modest Salary for Wes Johnson https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/lsu-term-sheet-reveals-more-modest-salary-for-wes-johnson-minnesota-twins-pitching-coach/ Mon, 27 Jun 2022 22:48:37 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39472 Sunday evening, we found out that Minnesota Twins pitching coach, Wes Johnson, was leaving the organization for Louisiana State University. On Monday, it was reported by The Athletic that his new salary would be worth double what he was making with the Twins.

But after a records request at the school was fulfilled later in the afternoon, we’re finding that not to be the case at all. The request was filed by LSU’s beat reporter for The Athletic, Brody Miller. The term sheet he was granted shows a much smaller salary for Wes Johnson, than the $750K first reported.

Instead, Johnson will make near the same money ($380K/yr + incentives) with his new collegiate employer, as what he was making with the Twins.

Wes Johnson Wanted Out, But Why?

It’s clear that Wes Johnson was motivated to leave the Minnesota Twins. It’s just not clear as to why, or what made him jump ship mid-voyage. A huge bump in salary, for a job that wouldn’t have been available in October, made sense.

That doesn’t appear to be what happened, though. Sure, Johnson has family in the south and life as a pitching coach in the NCAA may be less-taxing too. But timing matters. And the profound confusion, surrounding his departure and new salary, makes it all the more brow-raising.

Still, questions about how much Wes is getting paid with LSU could go down in history as a mystery because even at The Athletic, where all of this reporting is taking place, they have no idea how much he’s really making.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 27 Jun 2022 18:59:24 +0000 Minnesota Twins LSU to Pay Wes Johnson Double What Twins Did https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/lsu-tigers-to-pay-wes-johnson-double-minnesota-twins-salary/ Mon, 27 Jun 2022 15:48:38 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39456 The Minnesota Twins lost their pitching coach, Wes Johnson, on Sunday evening when he was hired by the LSU Tigers, for the same job. It was a shocking news drop that caught everyone, including the organization, off guard.

When disbelief turned to curious frustration, the question was obvious. Why in the hell would Wes Johnson leave the Twins for a college job, especially this time of year. Well, rumors quickly swirled that Johnson’s motives were likely based in cash.

Money Talks.

Apparently, top-tier college baseball programs pay pitching coaches A LOT more than what MLB organizations are willing to dole out. Now, The Athletic has put a dollar value on Johnson’s difference in salary. According to sources, Wes will make more than double the salary at LSU ($750K), than what he pulled in each year with the Minnesota Twins (~$350K).

Johnson reportedly received an annual salary around $350,000 from the Twins when he left the University of Arkansas for MLB in November 2018. He will now be paid $750,000 per year by LSU, sources confirmed. – The Athletic (Dan Hayes, Aaron Gleeman)

Again, the Twins were caught by surprise by Wes Johnson’s sudden exodus and, according to multiple reports, he didn’t give Falvine & Co an opportunity to make a counter offer. Would they have matched such a large raise? We may never know.

There were other variables in play. LaVelle E Neal (Star Tribune) told Paul Allen on KFAN that Johnson is, in part, going back to the SEC for family reasons. He’s from Arkansas, where much of his family still resides, and coached there before he was hired by the Twins.

Speaking of the Razorbacks program, Johnson’s mentor and Arkansas legendary head coach, Dave VanHorn, is 61-years-old and thinking about calling it a career, sooner rather than later. Phil Miller (Star Tribune) reported last night that Wes Johnson might have head coaching dreams on his mind, as well.

Timing isn’t everything.

As for the timing, it’s unlikely he had a choice, if he wanted to accept the job offer. Yes, the college baseball season is over. But at the highest level of D1, the offseason isn’t off. So it’s reasonable to believe the Tigers want Wes Johnson around to help scout, recruit and develop their talent over the summer and into fall ball. It was probably a ‘take it now, or leave it’ offer. And after seeing his new salary, I can’t blame him for taking it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 27 Jun 2022 12:21:02 +0000 Minnesota Twins Wes Johnson Leaving Twins for LSU https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/pitching-coach-wes-johnson-leaving-minnesota-twins-for-lsu-tigers/ Sun, 26 Jun 2022 23:45:04 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39438 It was a pretty good Sunday for the Minnesota Twins. They took the final game of their series vs the Colorado Rockies, which won them the 3-game inter-league bout held over the weekend at Target Field.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians lost their 4th-straight game, dropping them two games back of the Twins for the AL Central lead. This, on the eve of an important 5-game series between Cleveland and Minnesota that starts Monday.

But Sunday evening, reports are breaking — first via D1Baseball.com and now confirmed by others — that Minnesota Twins pitching coach, Wes Johnson, has accepted a job offer from LSU, as the Tigers new pitching coach. Remember, Johnson was a highly-touted, forward-thinking college coach when hired by the Twins in 2018.

Johnson to Jump Ship (Almost) Immediately

According to D1 Baseball, Johnson will leave the Twins immediately, even though the college baseball season is over and the MLB season hasn’t even reached the All-Star break. Wow, this is big news. And the timing couldn’t be worse…

What’s remarkable about Johnson landing Wes Johnson is that the @Twins currently lead the AL Central with a 41-33 record. Now, he’s heading back to college baseball midseason. Big pull for @LSUbaseball – Kendall Rogers – D1 Baseball

Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) is now reporting that, per a source, the upcoming series in Cleveland is expected to be Wes Johnson’s last with the Minnesota Twins. Why is Johnson leaving? Because, apparently, he will make a lot more money as a big time college pitching coach than he does in the MLB. You learn new things every day…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sun, 26 Jun 2022 19:25:20 +0000 Minnesota Twins WTF Has Wes Johnson Done to the Minnesota Twins Bullpen? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/wtf-has-wes-johnson-done-to-the-minnesota-twins-bullpen/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/wtf-has-wes-johnson-done-to-the-minnesota-twins-bullpen/#respond Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:16:23 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=28144

The Minnesota Twins have started the shortened MLB season 8-2. While the offense has started slowly, the pitching staff has absolutely dominated under the watchful eye of pitching coach Wes Johnson. The starting rotation is still working on stretching out, which means the bullpen has been shouldering a larger load. No problem.

One of the biggest keys to creating this absolute monster bullpen has been pitching coach Wes Johnson. Johnson has taken this unit and transformed it from a liability a few years ago to a total lockdown unit in 2020. So what sort of changes has Johnson implemented and what is leading to so much success from? Let’s find out.

THE JOHNSON FACTOR

Johnson had his work cut out for him when he was named pitching coach in 2018. The Twins went 78-84 that season, and had a team ERA of 4.50. Johnson was able to trim that to 4.18 in his first season as pitching coach. So far this year? The Twins boast a 2.70 ERA as a staff (through Monday night’s game), which is 4th best in all of Major League Baseball.

Johnson came to the Twins with a goal of trying to embrace analytics. Wes has long been revered for his ability to help pitchers add to their velocity. On top of that, Johnson has the Twins pitchers focusing on their secondary stuff, and throwing fewer fastballs.

Is this type of success sustainable? The answer is a resounding yes. But how are the top Twins bullpen arms so dominant? The answer is in a variety of ways.

TYLER CLIPPARD

Clippard, who the Twins signed in the offseason, has brought experience and versatility to the Twins bullpen. He has experience as an opener, and a closer, and has thrown almost every inning in between. At 35, he may not possess what he once did in terms of stuff, but Clippard has excelled so far this year with his offspeed stuff. He seemingly generates weak popups with every out he records.

TYLER DUFFEY

Wes Johnson has turned Tyler Duffey into one of the most dominant relievers in baseball in just over 2 years. As a converted starter, Duffey came to the bullpen with a full arsenal of pitches. After removing a few from his repertoire, Duffey has relied on his fastball and lethal slider. He has become adept at missing bats, I mean good luck trying to hit that slider.

TREVOR MAY

Trevor is another converted starter, but just seems much better suited for a late inning role. May has benefited from an uptick in velocity since joining the bullpen, and has the bulldog mentality required to handle high stress innings. May has dominated hitters with his explosive fastball and can lean on his offspeed pitches when necessary. But my favorite part about what he brings to this bullpen is the hunger to keep trying new things.

CODY STASHAK

Stashak is the youngest member of this core Twins bullpen group. But make no mistake, Stashak definitely deserves the innings he’s getting. After setting a Major League Record most strikeouts before his second career walk, Stashak is fearless. If you step into the box with Stashak on the mound, be ready. He is going to come right after you.

SERGIO ROMO

With so many options in the Twins bullpen that feature serious fastballs, it makes sense that there would be one or two options to slow things down. Romo has been around forever, and like Clippard, has a ton of valuable experience in many roles. An at-bat against Romo is going to feature nasty sliders and a frustrating lack of speed. Romo doesn’t need a blazing fastball to get you out. He can do that with movement and location.

TAYLOR ROGERS

All of these bullpen arms give way to the guy who finishes off most Twins wins. Rodgers has become one of the best closers in baseball. His explosive fastball is accented perfectly by his devastating slider. As previous Twins closers like to make the ninth inning eventful, Rogers usually wastes no time shutting the door. He has no fear and is the perfect leader for this group.

All of this has led to the best and deepest bullpen in Major League Baseball. Some of the adjustments made by this group have been mechanical, but others have been mentality changes. And all of them have turned this group into an absolute monster. We owe all of the success to Wes Johnson. Now hopefully Wes can fix the starting rotation.

Seth Toupal | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/wtf-has-wes-johnson-done-to-the-minnesota-twins-bullpen/feed/ 0 Tue, 04 Aug 2020 07:16:27 +0000 Minnesota Twins