The Home for Washington Nationals Game Talk

The Washington Nationals officially named Simon Mathews the team’s pitching coach today, and the news was announced by manager Blake Butera.

Mathews, just turned 30 in September and is part of the youth movement in the Nationals dugout and front office. He joins the Nationals after five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, most recently as their assistant pitching coach in 2025. He spent four seasons in Cincinnati’s Minor League system, serving as their assistant coordinator of rehabilitation and pitching initiatives (2023–24), rehab pitching coordinator (2022) and, in his first season in 2021, implemented the club’s pitching program at its academy in the Dominican Republic.

Prior to joining the Reds organization, Mathews was the director of pitching at Push Performance in Tempe, Ariz. and an online trainer at Driveline Baseball prior to joining the Reds organization in 2021.  In those roles, he designed throwing programs for pitchers, with an emphasis on improving movement patterns and velocity and promoted arm health.

The Washington Nationals officially named Michael Johns as the team’s bench coach. This was announced by manager Blake Butera this afternoon. With this hire, Johns, 50, becomes the first coach officially added to Butera’s staff. The pair has known each other from working together in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization.