Reinventing The Mound

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Single after single after single after single. Four batters come to the plate, and four batters reach base. The Winnipeg Goldeyes (the Fish) are down 1-0 and have loaded the bases with zero outs. 

Starting pitcher Landen Bourassa, 28, was struggling early, having already surrendered two runs and four hits through the first six batters. After he walked the sixth batter of the inning, the Fish trailed 2-0. Goldeyes pitching coach Mark Brewer, 66, heads out to the mound for a rare first-inning mound visit. 

After talking to his coach, Bourassa would allow one more run in the first, but whatever Brewer said allowed him to settle in. The right-hander allowed just two runs, three hits, and struck out six batters over the next 5.2 innings. Brewer taking a moment and allowing the pitchers to regain their confidence was a common occurrence for the Goldeyes in 2024. The trust between the pitchers and their coach was palpable.

“The persona around mound visits was always confidence and to the point. No matter the hitter, [Brewer] had a plan and the goal was always to execute that plan,” said Bourassa.

The Fish ended 2024 with a record of 56-43, finishing first in their division. Goldeyes pitchers finished with 789 strikeouts, compared to 669 in 2023. While they didn’t lead the league in the statistic, it was a drastic change and positive look for the future of the team. The Fish finished with an astounding 229 walks, almost breaking the league record for least as a team in a single season. The Goldeyes had 397 walks in 2023, for reference.

Beyond the walks and strikeouts, the team led the league with an eye-popping 3.74 earned run average. The next closest team had a 4.55, almost an entire point higher. Even more remarkably, the Fish allowed just 4.14 runs per nine innings, where the next closest was 5.21. 

The Goldeyes were a completely different team under Brewer. He transformed their pitching from disaster to dominant. The team improved in virtually every aspect of pitching from 2023, but really saw an increase in strikeouts, and a decrease in walks. 

Brewer became the Goldeyes’ pitching coach for the 2024 season, replacing Tom Thornton, 41. Brewer, the son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Jim Brewer, grew up around MLB greats. Brewer would never make it professionally as a player, but would find his way as a coach, specifically in affiliated baseball. Brewer spent two decades in affiliated baseball, coaching as high as the Triple-A level. 

When the Goldeyes reached out to Brewer to coach independent league baseball, it was something new to him and he wanted to give it a shot. Brewer described the experience as “refreshing.”

“In affiliated baseball, you’re looking to develop and expand players’ repertoires, but in independent baseball, you’re looking to get the most you can out of a guy and win now,” said Brewer. The Goldeyes had always looked for someone to focus on mechanics and dive deep into statistics. However, Brewer is the opposite of that. He tends to target the mental side of the game more than the physical. “As a pitcher, it’s often easy to get lost inside your own head, especially during a bad game,” he said.

Mechanics are a variety of things combined into one word, but it’s essentially any sort of physical movement. For example, when a pitcher wants to change the way he lands on his left foot, or change the way he throws the ball, he’s working on his mechanics. Brewer prioritizing the mental side of the game was a huge change for the Goldeyes, but one the franchise was seemingly ready for.

Floundering Fish

After a successful 2022 season, the Goldeyes looked to be back to their winning ways. They became the first team in league history to have two teammates, Max Murphy and David Washington, hit 30 home runs in a season, and their top pitcher, Luis Ramirez, had the second most strikeouts in the league that year. 

Long-time manager and pitching coach, Rick Forney, left the team after the 2022 season and accepted a job closer to Maryland, his home state. Forney, considered a Goldeyes legend, had managed the team since 2006, and often served as the pitching coach. 

Thornton became the team’s pitching coach at the start of 2023. He had been in the league with multiple teams as both a player and coach prior to 2023, so the players knew him well. He was more of a hands-on coach, meaning he preferred to help players with physical changes when it came to their pitching struggles.

These changes resulted in the team suddenly imploding and having their second-worst season in the franchise’s history. Their runs scored per game went from 5.87 in 2022 down to 4.89 in 2023. After the 2023 All-Star break, players were frustrated, and it seemed as though they knew they were going to be stuck at the bottom of the standings for the year. Many in the organization said the players then focused on “having fun,” despite the losses continuing to pile up. 

Immediately following an abysmal 2023 season, the organization hired an entirely new coaching staff. Thornton lasted just one year as pitching coach with the team, making it one of the shortest tenures for a pitching coach in Winnipeg. A complete revamp was underway.

The Fish posted a 43-57 record, the second-worst record league-wide that season. They finished in the bottom half of nearly every statistic, and 2023 marked just the 10^th time the team missed out on the playoffs in its 31 years. 

Landen Bourassa spent the previous two seasons with the Fish under Forney. Bourassa described the 2023 season as “rough,” as he finished the season with a 4.62 earned run average and only 64 strikeouts in 109 innings of work. The Goldeyes ended up second to last in strikeouts for the league that year, the opposite of what they were used to.

Bourassa, who was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, but settled in Winnipeg with his girlfriend during his time with the team, doesn’t ask for too much help and isn’t much of a statistics guy. 

He said he tries to only look at one statistic: strike percentage. “Regardless of my outing, I always look at strike percentage. Even if it’s a bad outing, as long as I’m throwing consistent strikes and not missing my spots with mistake pitches, I know I’m doing what I should be doing.”

While not extreme, Bourassa’s strikeout numbers dipped during 2023. He finished with a 5.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. In 2021 and 2022, he had a 6.4 and a 5.9, respectively. Bourassa describes himself as more of a groundball pitcher rather than a strikeout pitcher, but the dip in numbers was still something of interest. 

Reeling In Success

The Goldeyes lost their first four games of the 2024 season and were an under .500 team for the majority of the first quarter. However, after a few roster changes between trades and free agent signings, the Fish started to click. 

The 2024 season was the team’s first shot at the championship since 2017, when they captured the second of back-to-back titles. Having gone from worst to first was something the team used after taking over the top spot in August. Players from the 2023 season praised the new coaching and the strong bond the team had. The Goldeyes ultimately lost the championship series in just three games, but provided hope for next season.

Joey Matulovich, 27, the team’s number one pitcher, took the biggest jump of any Goldeye in 2024. The Fish’s ace had a year for the record books and was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year. He finished the year with a league best 2.12 earned run average and league-leading 145 strikeouts. With those 145 strikeouts, Matulovich came just nine short of breaking the Goldeyes’ single season record.

In 2023, Matulovich had a 3.78 earned run average and 121 strikeouts. His earned run average was the best on the team and ranked eighth league wide. He had an eventful 2023 season, as it was his first as a starting pitcher since 2017.

After a rough game in June, Matulovich was ready to hang up his cleats and end his professional baseball career in 2023, until his girlfriend (now wife) reminded him why it started in the first place and urged him to continue his career. 

“She’s my biggest supporter, she’s a huge reason as to why I’m still playing today,” said Matulovich. He also credits Thornton as a key part of his success. Matulovich said he needed more hands-on help, which was Thornton’s strong suit. In the latter half of 2023, the two mapped out everything Matulovich would do each day. “I really needed that type of structure at that time more than anything, just anything hands-on,” said Matulovich. 

Beyond the physical help Matulovich received, he also went to his mother’s hypnotherapist. Trying to keep a clear mind and not overthink was something he wanted to focus on. “That was a great experience, it actually really changed my perspective on pitching,” said Matulovich.

After an offseason of sticking to the training plan he and Thornton built together, Matulovich was comfortable with how he was performing physically. He didn’t plan on changing much heading into 2024 but was open to learning from Brewer.

“[Brewer] always kept things simple and didn’t over-complicate things. He was really good at pointing guys in the right direction,” said Matulovich. “For me, being comfortable on the mound is the most important thing, and [Brewer] always made sure of that,” he added.

Brewer said he didn’t do much mechanically with Matulovich, which allowed the pitcher to be himself and do things at his own pace. 

“I always just told him not to do more, that he needs to take those mental breaths when he’s out there,” said Brewer. Matulovich rarely looks at statistics, but when things aren’t going well, he’ll take a look and identify which areas are worse than others.

Improving his execution of pitches was a goal for Matulovich heading into the 2024 season. Besides changing the grip of his curveball by a hair to allow for more spin on the ball, there weren’t any major mechanical changes. He instead focused on making sure his fastball/slider mix were hitting the right spots at all times. The pitch mix was seen by both Matulovich and Brewer as top tier. Not many hitters were able to touch either pitch.

Many see the fastball/slider mix as the most effective combo in baseball because a fastball comes at you in a straight line, but a slider will change direction halfway through. Put them together and the ball starts to come at the batter straight but moves away horizontally as it nears the plate. When thrown correctly, it is the most deceptive pitch in baseball.

Heading into 2024, Landen Bourassa decided he needed a mechanical change. His change started with pitching from the third base side of the rubber on the pitcher’s mound. Bourassa, being a right-handed pitcher, said he found that from this position, his pitches move better when facing hitters who bat right and make it tough for the batter to pick up on the pitch.

Right-handed pitchers want to face right-handed batters, and left-handed pitchers want to face left-handed batters. This is because the ball is released closer to the batter’s body and almost creates the illusion that it’s coming in faster than it truly is. Both Bourassa and Matulovich are right-handers, and with the majority of hitters in baseball being right-handed, this gives them an advantage.

Like with Matulovich, Brewer didn’t focus on Bourassa’s mechanics. Brewer was more of a support coach for him.

“He would always just let me do my thing on the mound. Obviously, if I was ever struggling out there on the mound and needed some advice or anything, he was there for me,” said Bourassa. Bourassa always looks for the easiest areas to improve, even on the fly during games. 

The Goldeyes were the best defensive team in the league in 2024. Bourassa was able to rely on the team to make the tough plays and didn’t have to worry about always making the perfect pitch. “It’s great having those guys out there, I think that was another huge reason for our success, we were just so good defensively,” said Bourassa.

Bourassa saw results in 2024. His earned run average dropped to 4.01, he totalled 96 strikeouts over 119 innings, and he had his lowest walked batters total since joining the Fish in 2021. To go along with the 96 strikeouts, his strikeouts per nine innings pitched to finish the season was an astounding 7.3, the highest of his professional career. The year before, it was 5.3. 

During the season, the Goldeyes signed left-handed relief pitcher, Ben Onyshko. Onyshko, 28, is a Winnipeg native who was playing affiliated baseball within the Seattle Mariners organization prior to joining the Fish. 

Onyshko grew up playing for a variety of teams in Winnipeg. He played for Fort Garry as a kid and later played for Winnipeg South and various Baseball Manitoba teams in his later years.

This was Onyshko’s first experience with independent league baseball. When comparing it to the minor leagues, he said it felt like a looser environment in Winnipeg, and he didn’t feel like he was being micro-managed. 

After being consistently graded on various scales throughout his minor league experience, he said they were beneficial and a good training tool. Both location and action score are models designed with 100 being MLB average. Action score takes velocity, movement, and other markers such as height and extension into effect. Onyshko would reach as low as 80 on his changeup, and as high as 135 when throwing his slider. 

Due to the more relaxed vibe in Winnipeg, Onyshko now had complete control over his pitch mix. He was able to throw the pitches he wanted, rather than being told what to throw. Location score was a scale where he was usually below average in the minor leagues, and knew certain pitches were worse than others. Location score measures a pitcher’s ability to consistently throw pitches to the desired location.

“My cutter was my most used pitch in Winnipeg. I didn’t throw it much at all with the Mariners because I knew that the action on it would’ve been below major league average. In hindsight, I imagine it would’ve been by far my best location score pitch. It’s interesting to think about prioritizing certain pitches due to high action scores, and others due to high location,” said Onyshko.

Onyshko was someone Brewer rarely worked with, saying that he didn’t really need to. Onyshko put up impressive numbers coming out of the bullpen during his first season in Winnipeg. He appeared in 30 games and lit the league up with a 1.03 earned run average and just 12 walks in 43.2 innings. 

Brewer didn’t force players to pay attention to advanced statistics. Both Brewer and players were able to access Trackman technology, a system that captures specific metrics, like the spin rate of their pitches. The system was introduced by the league for the 2024 season, but most players didn’t use it much or at all. 

Players like Bourassa prefer to study arm angle and where their foot lands when throwing on the mound. Consistency is huge in pitching, and the smallest things can make a huge difference. Arm angle may not sound complex and like it wouldn’t have that much effect, but when throwing a baseball as hard as you can while trying to spin it as much as you can, the arm angle can be the biggest factor.  

The Brewer Effect

According to an article by MLB, all 30 MLB teams use an Employee Assistance Professional, who is trained to address issues like mental and emotional well-being, substance abuse, stress, grief, and psychological disorders. 

Teams at the Goldeyes level don’t usually employ an Employee Assistance Professional, but the majority of players saw Brewer as a support coach, and he took on many of the characteristics of an Employee Assistance Professional. It was something new to them. Brewer was someone they could rely on and go to for anything, inside or outside the game of baseball. 

The players knew Brewer as a huge jokester. Between cracking jokes on the long bus rides — or even on the mound during games — Brewer was able to keep the players loose; this was his specialty. 

He never wanted to re-shape a player or completely change his style, because that’s what got them to where they were. One of the key things players would go to Brewer for was tuning pitches. 

Zac Reininger, who signed with the Goldeyes for the 2024 season, spent three seasons in Major League Baseball from 2017-2019. Reininger, 32, was someone Brewer helped tune pitches midway through the year. Reininger wasn’t off to the best start when the season got underway, so Brewer worked with Reininger to fine tune his breaking ball. 

“Reininger, obviously being a vet, didn’t need much else than tuning. We got that breaking ball back to where it’s supposed to be and that was it, that was the key,” said Brewer. Brewer’s approach to the team was exactly how it sounds, simple. 

Landen Bourassa took advantage of Brewer’s knowledge and experience, perhaps more than anybody else on the team. Bourassa said the experience Brewer had was more valuable than anything, and it made him see the game differently. 

Brewer also helped Onyshko with mechanics throughout the season. Onyshko is a “submarine” pitcher, meaning he throws with more of a sideways underhand motion. 

There aren’t many pitchers like Onyshko, which can be a challenge for coaches. Keeping your arm angle consistent when throwing from your waist is miles harder than throwing from the traditional upright motion. 

Onyshko, a key part of the Fish’s dominant bullpen, wasn’t the only one to look for tuning or mechanic help. Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, 27, the team’s closing pitcher, often worked on pitches with Brewer. Trogrlic-Iverson had the hardest fastball on the team, and he often wanted advice from Brewer on how to better use his slider to compliment the fastball. 

“Tweaking Ivy’s [Trogrlic-Iverson] slider was something he really wanted, the fastball slider mix is something I love because it throws hitters off,” said Brewer. This combination of pitches made the Goldeyes bullpen one of, if not the most, dominant the franchise has ever seen. 

Brewer’s coaching and personality will continue to be a key part of the Goldeyes franchise. He signed a two-year extension that runs through 2026 with the team. Along with Brewer, the Goldeyes also re-signed starter Landen Bourassa. Both Matulovich and Onyshko have not yet signed with the Goldeyes for 2025. Onyshko has signed in Mexico and could return to the Fish at a later date. Matulovich remains undecided, as he awaits potential offers from big league clubs. 

Bourassa is spending his winter in Australia, playing in a winter league that runs until the middle of February. When back in Winnipeg, Bourassa often trains multiple times throughout the weeks and remains in contact with his coaches, including Brewer, to ensure he doesn’t lose a step. The eight-month-long offseason can make it hard for players to stay ready, but having facilities like the Home Run Sports Training Centre allows them space to keep up their skills.

Bourassa will return for his fifth year with the Fish and hopes to bring a championship back to the city that gave him his first shot at professional baseball. As a potential ace for next season, he’ll look to build an even stronger relationship with Brewer to continue his success. 

The Fish found something with Brewer, and they hope to keep him as long as they can. However, a sense of security is never guaranteed in the game of baseball. Brewer may be a good fit for the team right now, but a lot can change in two years’ time; it all depends on the players’ styles. Whatever happens, the Goldeyes would do well to keep up Brewer’s legacy of simplicity.