Last week it was announced that Brewers bullpen coach Steve Karsay was stepping away from his position. He cited spending more time with family as a big contributing factor. Today, the Brewers announced not only who will be replacing Karsay but also the addition of an infield and assistant hitting coach as well as assistant strength and conditioning specialist.
None of these additions to the coaching staff should come as a surprise.
A new bullpen coach was needed after Karsay stepped down and Jim Henderson was an expected favorite. Henderson pitched for the Crew during his major league career and racked up 28 saves in 2013. He later joined the Brewers minor league coaching staff where he most recently had been the pitching coach in Triple-A for the past two seasons. His experience as a player should make him a valuable asset to the major league coaching staff.
Earlier in the off-season, Connor Dawson and Ozzie Timmons were hired as co-hitting coaches. At that time they announced that they were looking to bring one more person aboard. Former Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager and Appleton native Matt Erickson ended up being that guy. Erickson is also a former player where he was utilized in a super utility infield role. Along with being the new assistant hitting coach, it makes sense that he will also help out with the infield defense.
The Brewers now have 11 coaches on the major league staff. This has been an increasing trend across the league due to the increased amount of information that is available. How well everyone works together and communicates will play a big role into getting players into the best positions to succeed. Over the past few season the Brewers have done good job at doing this, so hopefully the trend continues in 2022 as the staff continues to expand.
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