The Mets are hiring Derek Johnson in an advisory role, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. Johnson most recently spent eight seasons as the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
Johnson has been working with pitchers his entire coaching career, first in the college ranks with Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, Stetson University and Vanderbilt University before getting his professional job as minor league pitching coordinator with the Cubs in 2012. He got his first major league opportunity when he took over as the Brewers’ pitching coach in 2016.
While with Milwaukee, he helped the team’s pitching staff make big progress, including the breakout of Corey Knebel and Josh Hader. The Reds hired Johnson after the 2018 season, and he was named Major League Coach of the Year by Baseball America in 2019. That season, Cincinnati put two pitchers (Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray) in the All-Star Game for the first time since 2014. In recent years, the Reds have seen major growth from young stars Hunter Greene, Chase Burns, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott under Johnson’s watch.
Johnson is the third addition the Mets have made to the front office this offseason, as they also hired Deron Johnson as a special assignment scout and Derek Falvey as a senior advisor for baseball operations.
