MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers announced an expanded role for highly regarded assistant pitching coach Jim Henderson on Tuesday and hired a new first base coach in Julio Borbón, who inherits a big job for a team built to run.
Borbón, 38, played parts of five seasons in the Majors for the Rangers, Cubs and Orioles before retiring in 2019 and moving into the coaching ranks as the Yankees’ baserunning, outfield and bunting coach at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2019. He was slated to be the defensive coach for the Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the Minor League season, then managed the Rookie Florida Complex League Yankees to a 36-16 record and the North Division championship in 2021.
For the past three seasons, Borbón worked in player development with the Minnesota Twins as assistant coordinator of instruction. Now he’ll take over at first base for Quintin Berry with his responsibilities including coaching baserunning for a young, athletic Milwaukee team that ranked second in the Majors with 217 steals last season. Second baseman Brice Turang led the way with 50 steals and five different players finished north of 20 steals for the first time in Brewers history.
That philosophy will remain a priority for manager Pat Murphy, who had his players running like crazy in the early days of last year’s Spring Training, just to feel what it was like to push to the limit of aggressive baserunning -- and beyond. At one point, Milwaukee’s runners were thrown out so many times that Murphy said he received calls from alarmed officials throughout the organization.
"We just make teams uncomfortable,” said first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who is an observer of it all. “When we’re on the basepaths stealing bases, pushing the envelope a little bit, that just helps the confidence of the rest of the team. Guys on the mound, because they know we’re going to score runs and they don’t have to be perfect, there’s a freedom there.”
On the run prevention side, Henderson will take on an expanded role in his fourth season as Milwaukee’s assistant pitching coach with the added title of “strategy coach.” That suggests he will absorb some of the duties of departed run prevention coordinator Walker McKinven, who left the Brewers to be the White Sox bench coach.
With Borbón added to the group and Henderson’s new title, Murphy’s staff is set for 2025. It includes associate manager Rickie Weeks (who enters his second season on Milwaukee’s staff), field coordinator Néstor Corredor (third season), third base coach Jason Lane (10th season), pitching coach Chris Hook (seventh season), bullpen coach Charlie Greene (second season), lead hitting coach Al LeBoeuf (first season), hitting coach Connor Dawson (fourth season), hitting coach Eric Theisen (first season), assistant coach Daniel de Mondesert (second season) and infield coach Matt Erickson (second season).
Christian Correa (second season) and Adam Weisenburger (fifth season) will return as the team’s bullpen catchers.