Sox Minor League Coaching and Development Staff

JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
JM3 said:
Final thought: I usually agree with Ian on almost everything as it relates to the MLB side.

New thing: the Red Sox hired Justin Willard from the Twins as their Director of Pitching. He was a pitching coordinator for the Twins in Ft. Myers the last few years.

View: https://twitter.com/byJulianMack/status/1731712075078979928


https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-willard-463a7065
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View: https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/1731714281068974382


Willard, a 6'1 RH reliever, pitched like 35 innings at Concord University in Athens, WV over 3 years with an ERA over 11.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
Here are some quotes from that Podcast:

Tweetable Quotes:

“The people aspect is something that we as coaches often overlook. Helping people grow is a huge, huge aspect of coaching.” – Justin Willard (01:38)

“I’m going to put you in the best position to see the ball. That’s what we as humans do. We want to see.” – Justin Willard (09:07)

“If you can’t throw a change-up, it’s probably because you can’t get a proper extension of your arm. So, let’s work on the things that will help you get there.” – Justin Willard (20:55)

“You need to have all your information and your ability to communicate in one kind of central location.” – Justin Willard (22:09)

“I’m very big on restraint-based training, understanding and manipulating the organism, the task, and the environment.“ – Justin Willard (25:59)

“Throwing should be the easy part. Getting our body warm and ready and sweating, that happens before throwing.” – Justin Willard (36:41)

“I would rather have a guy with an 80-grade pitch and no command than a guy with a 40-50 grade pitch with phenomenal command.” – Justin Willard (40:07)

“If you boil down this whole player development process, you can’t just look at one sphere.”– Justin Willard (51:1)
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https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/justin-willard-milb-pitching-coach-minnesota-twins/id1256849644?i=1000444198090

I also thought this article was kind of interesting about how Justin Willard & other pitching people in the Twins org helped Ryan Jeffers become a better throwing catcher.

With the help of catching coach Hank Conger and a pair of pitching experts — bullpen coach Colby Suggs, who came to the Twins after working at the Driveline pitcher-development school, and Justin Willard, the Twins minor league pitching coordinator — Jeffers undertook a throwing program, including frequent use of weighted balls, that he still follows daily.

"Throwing from 60 feet. Then throwing from 120 feet. Throwing for velocity, then throwing for spin. Throwing to someone, then throwing into a net," Jeffers said of his pitcher-style workout routine. "I was at the indoor facility [at North Carolina-Wilmington, his alma mater] three days a week, four days, five days heading into camp. And I throw the weighted balls every day now."
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https://www.startribune.com/ryan-jeffers-minnesota-twins-catcher-pitcher-stolen-bases/600284868/
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
It's a good thing Absinthe started this thread.

View: https://twitter.com/SPChrisHatfield/status/1731835065376662012


Zawadski has been with the Red Sox since 2018. He is 38 & was born in Framingham. He had 7 hits in his MLB career.

He is the most recent of the 9 MLB players from Framingham when he played in 2010.

All-Time Framingham hits leaders:

Pie Traynor 2,416
Mark Sweeney 464
Lou Merloni 294
Stan Benjamin 176
Lance Zawadski 7
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
Apparently this was basically Breslow's job title in Chicago & Willard will be working from Boston.

“We’re really excited to bring him on board,” Breslow said of Willard. “Someone that comes with a pretty strong track record of pitching development. We’ve been mindful of what Minnesota’s done over the last few years in the development of some of their guys. We feel really lucky, really fortunate. He spent quite a bit of time with Andrew Bailey, so we feel like those two will be in lockstep. And pitching development is something that I feel comfortable kind of diving into. I feel like we’ve got the foundation for a really strong infrastructure and something that’s going to need to evolve and grow over time, but we’re off to a really good start.”
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Minnesota has seen a number of young pitchers, including Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, impact their major league roster in recent years. Breslow hopes bringing Willard aboard will lead to similar results.
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“There’s a solid track record of success and a number of pitchers in Minnesota have taken a step forward and are now impacting their major league team,” Breslow said, “but beyond that, we had a chance to spend quite a bit of time with him in person, had him connect with Andrew and (manager Alex Cora) and make sure that he was going to be able to impact our major league pitching group as well as the (player development) side. We feel really comfortable in his ability both in terms of technical and tactical skills and then also leadership and strategic thinking.”
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https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/12/craig-breslow-makes-first-big-executive-hire-as-red-sox-overhaul-pitching.html
 
JM3

JM3

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Dec 14, 2019
15,260
WORK UPDATE

Extremely pumped to share that I've been promoted to the role of Hitting Coordinator at
@RedSox


Thank you to God, the Red Sox, our awesome leadership, and to all of my family/friends who support and encourage me every day

Cheers to Feeding the Monster for many more years to come!!
Click to expand...
View: https://twitter.com/Joney93/status/1734009060075139196


I guess he was a roving complex hitting coach before. Driveline guy.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
The Red Sox have also added Eddie Cheong to the Player Development Department as a Korean translator.

LIFE UPDATE: I'm super stoked to announce my new journey with the
@RedSox
! I will be working as a Korean Language Translator and also be working closely with the Player Development Department. I'm thrilled to learn, grow, and be part of this incredible organization!! ..... Just 6 years ago, I moved to the U.S. from Korea without knowing how to say a word in English. I am grateful that I was able to meet people who supported my journey and became my guide. A huge thank you to everyone who inspired me every step of the way! LET'S GO RED SOX!!
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View: https://twitter.com/eddie15091/status/1734279570512322905


Cheong has previously worked at the University of San Diego & in the Arizona Fall League.

The only Red Sox guy in the system that I know of at this time who speaks Korean is Chansol Lee. But maybe this will be a good opportunity to grow in that direction.
 
Chainsaw318

Chainsaw318

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Burned . . . Blacklisted
JM3 said:
The Red Sox have also added Eddie Cheong to the Player Development Department as a Korean translator.



View: https://twitter.com/eddie15091/status/1734279570512322905


Cheong has previously worked at the University of San Diego & in the Arizona Fall League.

The only Red Sox guy in the system that I know of at this time who speaks Korean is Chansol Lee. But maybe this will be a good opportunity to grow in that direction.
Click to expand...
Spark the theories about KBO OF Jung Hoo Lee?
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
Chainsaw318 said:
Spark the theories about KBO OF Jung Hoo Lee?
Click to expand...
I've already heard theories on both him & Ha Seong Kim already lol

Seems unlikely it's tied to anything else specific with Chansol Lee already here after signing a $300k IFA deal, but it's a cool story considering he's only been in America for 6 years & opens up some opportunities/shows a commitment.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
15,260
Tyler Milliken did a piece on the Kyle Boddy hire:

For many baseball traditionalists, there was some serious hesitation to Boddy’s voice and methods gaining traction in the sport, since he lacked the classic player or coaching background. His first couple of careers weren’t even in sports, as he worked as a professional gambler and then at Microsoft as a software developer. There was no history of a blogger creating his own biomechanics lab and trying to reinvent the way pitchers evolved.
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During Boddy’s time with Reds, their minor-league arms went from the 6th-worst xERA to the 6th-best out of 30 organizations in just two years time. That played a big part in their farm system skyrocketing from 28 to 8 in Baseball America’s rankings. Not to mention, 2020 was a tough hurdle for everyone in baseball, but especially for Boddy who was trying to get his feet wet in a brand new position.
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Taking a step back, it’s no surprise that Breslow had his sights set on Boddy. Both heavily emphasize the importance of velocity, with Breslow himself saying his development process starts with maximizing those ticks on the radar gun. In 2023, Cubs minor-league arms averaged the highest velocity across the minors and the second-best Stuff+, which is the pitch model heavily used in Driveline’s analysis process.
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https://985thesportshub.com/listicle/milliken-kyle-boddy-joins-red-sox-pitching-development-makeover/
 
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