Pete Maki Returning As Pitching Coach

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins are starting to piece together their coaching staff under new manager Derek Shelton, and familiar faces will play key roles in the dugout next season. According to multiple reports, Pete Maki will return as the team’s pitching coach while LaTroy Hawkins steps into the bullpen coach role.

Hawkins’ addition comes after nearly a decade of work in the organization’s player development system and regular appearances on Bally Sports North broadcasts. His move back to the field adds an experienced, respected voice to a staff tasked with helping Minnesota rebuild one of baseball’s most dominant pitching groups from just a year ago.

Maki’s return provides continuity for a pitching unit that was expected to be a strength in 2024 but stumbled due to injuries and underperformance. Pablo López and Bailey Ober both took steps back, and by the trade deadline, the bullpen had been stripped down as the team dealt Jhoan Duran, Danny Coulombe, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, and Brock Stewart in a series of moves signaling a shift toward the future.

One notable departure from the organization is longtime coach Tommy Watkins, who spent 27 years in the Twins system as a player, minor-league instructor, and coach. Watkins has accepted a position with the Atlanta Braves, closing a chapter that spanned nearly three decades in Minnesota baseball.

With Maki and Hawkins in place, Shelton’s coaching staff is starting to form, though several other roles remain undecided as the Twins continue shaping the next phase of their clubhouse leadership.

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[ashbury]

Tommy Watkins noticing son Bashbury and me in our Twins gear at an Arizona Fall League game and initiating conversation from the field (twice, since we didn't catch on at first he was talking to us) will always stand out in my memories of fall baseball, so I'll miss him even if it may have been time for him to move on.

[Squirrel]

10 hours ago, ashbury said:

Tommy Watkins noticing son Bashbury and me in our Twins gear at an Arizona Fall League game and initiating conversation from the field (twice, since we didn't catch on at first he was talking to us) will always stand out in my memories of fall baseball, so I'll miss him even if it may have been time for him to move on.

And this has to do with the Pete Maki returning how? (Did you mis-post?)

[ashbury]

5 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

And this has to do with the Pete Maki returning how? (Did you mis-post?)

The article has a paragraph about Watkins moving on.  It might be the most recognition this long-time Twins coach gets in a TD article going forward, so I thought I'd add my little tribute.

[Squirrel]

13 hours ago, ashbury said:

The article has a paragraph about Watkins moving on.  It might be the most recognition this long-time Twins coach gets in a TD article going forward, so I thought I'd add my little tribute.

Guess I’m guilty of not reading it completely … or at all past the title

[Parfigliano]

Glad they kept Maki.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

6 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Glad they kept Maki.

Yup! If there was a holdover to keep, it’s Maki

[Cris E]

Glad to see them taking a measured approach to the restaffing. There were some things that were not working and there were parts that were, and Maki and his crew were pretty much delivering.