By Retaining Chris Hook, the Brewers Keep a Successful Pitching Development Program Running Smoothly

[Jack Stern]

Fresh off a new deal to remain in Milwaukee, Chris Hook credited the Brewers' larger pitching development system for the club's success on the mound. He's integral to that system running smoothly, and keeping him in Milwaukee ensures that will remain the case.

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Brewers already announced some changes to their coaching staff last week, but perhaps the most prominent development in that department occurred on Tuesday, when Chris Hook signed a new multi-year deal to remain the team’s pitching coach.

The 56-year-old Hook will return for his 18th season with the organization and seventh as big-league pitching coach. Since his promotion to the role ahead of the 2019 season, the Brewers rank fourth in baseball in league-adjusted ERA and sixth in RA9-WAR.

Hook, who said both parties articulated interest in prolonging their partnership toward the end of the regular season, is the public face of Milwaukee’s pitching development system, but he’s far from the only impactful figure fueling that well-oiled machine. He cited his comfort and productive working relationship with Brewers executives, analysts, trainers, and fellow coaches as the source of his desire to stay put in lieu of free agency.

“The group that I have that I work with, from the training staff to the strength staff to the front office, the systems are in place,” he said. “The work between our groups is very, very fluid. That happens very easy.

“Matt [Arnold] and his group are going to find the right guys to make it work for us. I think that is the driving force in my coming back.”

Hook rightfully apportioned the credit to others throughout the organization, but his fingerprints are all over the Brewers’ sustained success at preventing runs. His keen eye for potential adjustments to a pitcher’s mechanics, pitch mix, and mentality stand out. Even when he isn’t the source of such observations, he’s the guiding figure communicating those tweaks to pitchers with concise, digestible, and impactful messaging. The road from player acquisition to success on the mound runs through him.

The common theme across Milwaukee’s many pitching success stories is Hook repeatedly helping hurlers maximize deception. He’s preached the importance of mixing fastball variations to compensate for uninspiring velocity and shapes. He helped Colin Rea adopt mechanical and pitch mix tweaks that fueled one of the best stretches of his career. He pushed Aaron Civale to reintroduce his shorter slider to bridge the gap between his cutter and bigger breaking balls. Three outings into Tobias Myers’s big-league career, Hook identified cues to generate more consistent velocity on his riding fastball.

Pat Murphy credited Hook throughout the season, specifically pointing out his work with the starting pitchers. That’s where his influence shined most in 2024, as the Brewers successfully assembled nearly an entire rotation on the fly after a litany of injuries early in the season.

“I think we know that we’re always going to have challenges every year in some form or fashion,” Hook said. “It’s, ‘What are we going to do? What’s our next step? Who’s the next man up? How are we going to make this guy better? How is he going to fill the need that we have?’”

Depending on how many of their additional pitching-focused coaches they can retain, the Brewers likely could have survived in the long run had Hook changed scenery. They employ plenty of bright minds throughout the organization and have already survived several key departures by diligently preparing internal replacements. It could be a rocky transition in the short-term, though, to a new face with less experience and familiarity with the big-league staff.

By re-upping with Hook, the club avoided that potential speed bump for at least a few more years. The many moving parts throughout the organization on the pitching side would not come together so neatly without his leadership. So long as he’s in Milwaukee, one of baseball’s best pitching development systems remains highly likely to continue chugging along.

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[eddiemathews]

Important to recognize the team emphasis on defense, too.