The timing isn't ideal for the Twins. It's not easy for him or anyone else.
He is leaving the Twins to become LSU's pitching coach. He said the decision made him sad.
It's very difficult. Johnson said he didn't know if he had slept in a while. It was very difficult. This is the most difficult thing I have ever done.
The Twins open a five-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, who are in second place in the division. Through this series, Johnson will be Minnesota's pitching coach.
The Twins are having discussions about how to replace Johnson for the rest of the season. At Arkansas, Johnson was the head coach. Major roles are expected to be played by Luis Ramirez and Pete Maki in the short term.
Falvey said that it creates some juggling. We have to step into Wes' role in order to work with the internal group.
Falvey said he's confident that the Twins are capable of handling Johnson's departure. Baldelli called a team meeting on Sunday night to inform his players of the decision.
He said they wouldn't ask anyone to be Wes. It's not how life and baseball work. We will give our pitchers everything they need. We're about as prepared as possible.
As he arrived, Johnson's exit was even more shocking. He was the first college pitching coach to jump directly to the majors when he was hired by the Twins. Before the Twins picked him, Johnson was a college pitching coach. He has a masters degree.
Baldelli said it was not surprising to see Wes return to the college game. Is it good to see it happen in the middle of the year? It is absolutely true that not. Nobody is. I'm not surprised that he's going back to something he loves because he's good at it.
He was born in Atlanta and raised in Arkansas. He visited Mississippi State, Dallas Baptist, and Central Arkansas. Before he became a college coach, he was a high school coach.
In his first two years, Johnson was in charge of the pitching staff. The Twins have returned to the top of the American League Central with a 3.78 team earned run average that is 11th in the majors. While Johnson was in charge of the staff, the Twins ranked in the top ten in all three years.
The Twins set a single-season strikeout record. Taylor Rogers was an All-Star in 2021. Twins pitchers praised Johnson's energy, positivity and wisdom as recently as Saturday night when Chris Archer threw five shut outs with one hit allowed to Colorado
"Wes is one of my biggest supporters,'' said Archer after the victory. Between starts, we do a lot of work, mentally and physically.
The impact Johnson has had on Minnesota's young pitchers is something he is proud of.
He thinks he brought energy every day. I prepare to win every day, just like I'll do until the end of this road trip. Nobody will be able to say that he didn't show up to work.
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