MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins’ first order of offseason business is done. Minnesota announced Wednesday that it has hired Brian Reith to be the club’s new Major League pitching coach.
Reith, 48, comes from the Rays' organization, where he spent the past five seasons as the pitching coach for Triple-A Durham. He’s worked closely with highly regarded Tampa Bay pitching coach Kyle Snyder, and he has been a part of the organization-wide success the Rays have enjoyed when it comes to run prevention. He hopes to bring some of the Rays’ aggressive and effective pitching approach to the Twins.
“Throwing strikes is No. 1,” he said. “Getting to two strikes as quick as possible, then executing a pitch to get a guy out. Just basic philosophy, that would be it. Get to two strikes as possible, then get the guy out as quick as possible after that.
“We’re going to utilize all the technology we can to get the delivery right so we can execute those pitches and go from there.”
Reith replaces Pete Maki, who was relieved of his duties following a season when the Twins allowed the sixth-most runs in baseball.
“Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from both his playing career and his time as a coach," Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said. "He has earned a reputation as an outstanding connector and a well-rounded pitching coach, while learning from and working alongside some of the best pitching minds in the game. We’re excited about the impact he’ll have on our pitchers and our staff."
Reith has spent his entire coaching career in organized baseball with the Rays, a club with which manager Derek Shelton is quite familiar. Shelton was Tampa Bay's hitting coach from 2010-16, a tenure that overlapped with current Rays manager Kevin Cash. And though the two were not on the same Major League staff, Shelton’s tenure with the Rays' organization also overlapped with Snyder's.
But the connections between the two go farther back than that. Shelton was the hitting coach for Single-A Greensboro in 1998, Reith’s first season in professional baseball.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Twins did not announce a replacement for assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez, who was let go along with Maki. Shelton spoke shortly after those decisions about building a pitching group that would work together as a unit, much as his hitting staff, led by Keith Beauregard, has done.
By hiring Reith but not an assistant, the Twins allow Reith, Shelton and the front office to build out more of the pitching group over the coming days and weeks. Bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins is returning to his role for 2027.
“Looking forward to that,” Reith said. “Maybe bringing some guys that can complement me and my skill level and can make us even better. Some of the things that might not be my strengths, we can bring in to really help these guys out and have some different thoughts, too, so we can challenge each other and make things better. I’m really excited to build that and get that moving forward.”
That thought process echoes something Shelton has repeatedly said he believes in. In building his coaching staff with the Twins, he’s made it a point to emphasize a variety of skill sets, styles, and backgrounds, with coaches who complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
The Twins also announced that Ben Myers has been promoted from Triple-A St. Paul to serve as assistant athletic trainer, replacing Jason Kirkman.