In a stunning move, Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson has chosen to walk away from his position with the Twins and take the same position with LSU.
The news was announced this week, much to the shock of the Twins and the rest of the baseball world.
Johnson will remain the Twins pitching coach until after their game on Thursday, which is the series finale of their four-game set with the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
Veteran starter Chris Archer commented on his time with Johnson and explained why he will miss having him around, as seen in Do-Hyoung Park’s tweet below.
Chris Archer has been very open about the impact Wes Johnson has had on him in these few months.
"He's the best pitching coach I've ever had. Been playing for a long time. He definitely, he has a way of getting you to believe in yourself even when times are tough."
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) June 27, 2022
Archer Praises Johnson
These are some kind words from Archer.
When you get praise for helping guys believe in themselves, even when times are tough, that means you’ve done your job right.
Archer, 33, has dealt with more than his fair share of struggles over the past several years.
Injuries derailed him after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He signed a one-year deal with the Twins during the offseason and so far, has put up some pretty good numbers, numbers that are more akin to the way he used to pitch.
His record may be 2-3, but he has an ERA of 3.14 in 14 starts this season.
Archer certainly feels that Johnson was helpful and played a big role in his turnaround.
So, it’s easy to see why Archer will miss him, even though their time together was limited.
Johnson clearly is a very accomplished pitching coach and knows what it takes to get his guys to succeed and believe in themselves.
That certainly has helped Archer after years of struggles and injuries.
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