Brewers’ Scouting Shuffle Promotes Ray Montgomery, Tod Johnson

General manager David Stearns has realigned the Brewers’ scouting department, but the second-year general manager didn’t overhaul it or make wholesale changes at the top.

In a press release Wednesday, Stearns announced the promotion of Ray Montgomery, 46, to vice president of scouting. According to BA correspondent Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, Montgomery was promoted to the organization’s lead talent evaluator. Tod Johnson will take over as the scouting director, working under Montgomery, for whom he was previously assistant scouting director. Meanwhile, pro scouting director Zack Minasian was promoted to special advisor for scouting.

“Scouting will always be an integral aspect of our focus on acquiring and developing young talent, and we are confident that today’s moves will enhance those efforts to be among the best in the industry,” Stearns said in a statement. “Tod, Ray, and Zack have all contributed a great deal to this organization during parts of the past decade, and I am excited about their continued impact as they assume new positions.”

Montgomery, a former big league outfielder with the Astros, has worked two stints with the Brewers, from area scouting to crosschecking from 2002-2010 before becoming the Diamondbacks’ scouting director from 2011-14. He returned to Milwaukee for the 2015 draft as VP of amateur scouting and a special assistant to then-GM Doug Melvin, retaining the position under Stearns and now being promoted.

Johnson, 43, spent four years with the Padres, serving in the club’s analytics department (with job titles including director of application development and baseball systems architect), before joining the Brewers as assistant scouting director for the last six years. He’ll now oversee amateur scouting operations and preparations for the first-year player draft for Milwaukee.

Minasian is one of two Minasians who operate pro scouting departments in MLB; his brother Perry does the same for the Blue Jays. They got their starts around the game thanks to his father Zack Sr., a clubhouse manager for the Dodgers and Rangers who also worked for the Red Sox in Bobby Valentine’s lone year as manager.

Zack Minasian, 32, has worked with the Brewers for 12 years, the past six as pro scouting director. He’ll remain heavily involved in pro scouting with his new title.