When a team has success; the credit is often given to the manager and the players. You often hear very little about the other coaches and what they’ve done to help with the winning. For every great season, there is almost always an amazing pitching coach behind it. To say that Chris Hook has done a magnificent job with the Brewers’ staff is an understatement; he has coached them to the most dominant season in team history. Both the starters and bullpen pitchers have thrived under his tutelage and it has shown this season. Hook’s work with the staff is the main reason why the Brewers won the NL Central and are going to the playoffs.
Because Hook is a pitching coach for a small market team, he does not get the recognition he deserves. Since taking over as the pitching coach in 2018, Hook’s staffs have produced five All-Stars and one Rookie and Reliever of the Year. This season could have an argument as the finest yet, under his tutelage; four pitchers including three starters were selected to the All-Star Game. Starting pitchers Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta were selected to the mid-summer classic for the first time. In any other rotation, Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta would all be aces. Furthermore, I am sure every team in baseball would beg to have three All-Star pitchers in their rotation.
As a staff, it has been a great year. Brewers pitchers have a combined earned run average of 3.37. Only the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have a better average. Crew pitchers also lead the league in strikeouts.
Perhaps Hook’s best individual work has been with Corbin Burnes. Burnes has been having a breakout season in 2021. The Cy Young candidate has been having a career year in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts. Prior to this season, Burnes had struggled in his first full season in 2019 finishing the year with an 8.82 earned run average. With the steady hand of Chris Hook, Corbin Burnes is looking like one of Major League Baseball’s next generation of great pitchers.
Chris Hook has also done a great job at developing the Brewers’ young arms in Aaron Ashby and Eric Lauer. After rough starts to their careers, Hook has turned them into key contributors down the stretch. Ashby and Lauer should have roles in the postseason whether it’d be in the bullpen for Ashby or starting a game for Lauer. I think Lauer and Ashby are in the best position to have a long successful career thanks to Hook.
To have success in baseball, a team must have a great pitching staff. The Brewers have proven this in 2021. Going to the playoffs four years in a row doesn’t happen without a great pitching staff. Since Hook has taken over as the pitching coach the Brewers staff has had arguably the most success in franchise history. The Milwaukee Brewers are so lucky that they have one of the best in the game in Chris Hook.
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