Brewers complete 2022 Major League staff

Team Adds Jim Henderson, Matt Erickson and Daniel Vega

January 18th, 2022

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers today announced the additions of Jim Henderson as bullpen coach, Matt Erickson as infield and assistant hitting coach and Daniel Vega as assistant strength and conditioning specialist. The announcement was made by President of Baseball Operations David Stearns.

Henderson, 39, replaces Steve Karsay, who stepped down to spend more time with his family. 

The former reliever has spent the past four seasons as a coach in the organization, including the last two (2020-21) as pitching coach at the Triple-A level. He joined the Brewers as bullpen coach with the Rookie Helena Brewers and assistant to the professional scouting department in 2018 before spending 2019 as pitching coach at Class-A Wisconsin. 

Henderson pitched professionally for 14 seasons (2003-16), including parts of four in the Major Leagues with the Brewers (2012-14) and New York Mets (2016). He went 10-11 with a 3.61 ERA and 31 saves in 155 games, leading Milwaukee in saves (28) in 2013. 

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Henderson pitched for Team Canada in the Pan American Games in 2011 and the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017. 

Erickson, 46, joins the Major League coaching staff after spending the past 11 seasons as manager at Class-A Wisconsin in his native Appleton, where he went 652-714 (.477), including winning the Midwest League championship in 2012. He joined the organization in 2009 as a coach with the Timber Rattlers before being named manager in 2011. 

A former infielder, Erickson played 11 professional seasons in the Florida Marlins (1997-2003, 2005), Brewers (2004-05) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-07) organizations. He played in four Major League games, all with the Brewers, in 2004.

Vega replaces Jason Meredith, who became the organization’s rehabilitation strength and conditioning coach in Arizona.

Vega joins the Brewers organization after six seasons (2016-21) as a Minor League strength and conditioning coach with the St. Louis Cardinals, spending time with Double-A Springfield (2019-21) and the Rookie Gulf Coast League Cardinals (2016-18), where he also was the Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator. 

Vega served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Dominican Republic in the Premier 12 baseball qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Prior to joining the Cardinals, he was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at New York University (2015-16) and an intern strength and conditioning coach with the Buffalo Bills (2015), Eastern Michigan University (2014) and Reach Your Potential Training Inc. (2013).