NEWS: Twins Hire Rays Minor-League Coach Brian Reith as New Pitching Coach

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins hired Rays Triple-A pitching coach Brian Reith as the team's new major-league pitching coach, the team announced Wednesday. Reith, 48, spent the last five seasons as the pitching coach of the Durham Bulls, and brings a long track record as a pitching and former hurler to the role.

Reith appeared in parts of three seasons with the Reds from 2001 through 2004, with a 5.92 ERA in 127 career innings. After finishing his playing career in 2009, he transitioned into coaching and instruction. The Rays hired him as a pitching coach in A ball in 2015, and he spent three seasons with the Hudson Valley Renegades, then two with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. After spending time around the major-league team in 2021, he got the bump to Triple-A Durham in 2022 and had served as their pitching coach ever since.

When Reith joined the Rays organization, Josh Kalk was still a top pitching mind in the organization. Kalk is now an assistant general manager with the Twins, and his relationship with Reith should help the team get the messages they feel need to be relayed from the front office out to the mound more smoothly than ever. Reith replaces Pete Maki, with whom the team parted ways at the end of the season after four and a half years in the same role. No word yet on whether or when the team will name an assistant pitching coach to replace Luis Ramirez, who was also let go.

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[HerbieFan]

Hard to nit pick heisting someone from the Rays.

[Nashvilletwin]

We might need a Bull as a new mascot so he can teach our pitchers to throw  at it to intimidate the batters….

[Patzky]

27 minutes ago, HerbieFan said:

Hard to nit pick heisting someone from the Rays.

That pitching pipeline just keeps running through St. Pete.  I guess they're pretty good lately..

[Jeff K]

This looks like a good hire.  

[mike8791]

While I was in favor of paying the money to hire an established major league pitching coach with a demonstrated record of success, at least we can give the FO credit for hiring someone outside the Twins organization.  Better yet, that org. is one with established success in keeping their pitching pipeline flowing.  Of course, we don't know exactly how much Reith contributed, but preliminary indications are favorable.  Between Kalk and Reith, perhaps we will not only see improvement in drafting of pitchers, but also in badly needed improvement  in getting our minor leaguers ready for MLB success.

[Whammy]

14 minutes ago, mike8791 said:

Between Kalk and Reith, perhaps we will not only see improvement in drafting of pitchers, but also in badly needed improvement  in getting our minor leaguers ready for MLB success.

I'm all for improvement, but has the Twins drafting of pitchers been bad over the last 5-7 years? 

I feel like this is something that just gets said because we assume other teams are doing it so much better. And I'm sure there are examples of organizations that do a really good job of it, but drafting pitchers, keeping them healthy, and having them contribute to the MLB club is just really difficult.

[cheeseheadgophfan]

Durham Bulls eh?

I guess he will have Twins pitchers bringing the heat and announcing their presence with authority.   LOL

[nicksaviking]

He sounds more than qualified, but maybe not a slam dunk JUST because he came from Tampa. The Rays aren't exactly known for developing their own pitchers; starters in particular. Just about all have come from elsewhere. And the two that were from within the organization, McClanahan and Baz, have long track records of injuries. And if we're talking Taj Bradley, I think you have to give the departed Phil Maki the win on that one.

It kind of feels like the Falvey hire (not trashing either hire) in that fans saw good pitching on their former teams and thought getting a pitching guy from them was a great move. But neither team developed their own pitching. And, hey, getting other team's developed pitchers has been working for the Twins too. So I'm on board with that route for sure.

[Cris E]

No one here is qualified to comment on this in any meaningful way. It seems fine, but so did Maki and Wes Johnson. I can't even tell you why Maki was fired beyond the usual Twins scapegoating of competent people.

Whatever, welcome aboard, Brian was it? Good luck to you, we're all pulling for your success. 

[LastOnePicked]

23 minutes ago, Cris E said:

No one here is qualified to comment on this in any meaningful way.

Wait ... we have to be qualified to comment on hirings and firings now? Darn it. And here I was just going to welcome him aboard.

[DataNerd]

1 hour ago, Whammy said:

I'm all for improvement, but has the Twins drafting of pitchers been bad over the last 5-7 years? 

I feel like this is something that just gets said because we assume other teams are doing it so much better. And I'm sure there are examples of organizations that do a really good job of it, but drafting pitchers, keeping them healthy, and having them contribute to the MLB club is just really difficult.

Yep.  I've done some experimental analysis that puts us 6th in value from drafted pitchers since 21 and we've spent the 16th most capital on pitchers and 8th in getting value from picks.  Our pitching issues have come from (1) horrible development of international players and (2) we basically never get good pitchers in FA.  We also haven't had a guy get drafted an become an absolute stud, but we've had plenty of solid players despite not spending firsts on pitchers.

[AceWrigley]

Since 2006 the Rays have had Jim Hickey and now Kyle Snyder, both excellent pitching coaches. If Tampa Bay has held unto Reith this long as their AAA pitching coach I have to believe he could be a real good pick for the Twins, and I'm sure manager Derek Shelton and Assistant GM Josh Kalk agree.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Now that we know who will coaching the pitchers, let's see what he can do 

 

[ashbury]

Not being qualified to comment, I have no opinion on this or any move.

[nicksaviking]

6 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Not being qualified to comment, I have no opinion on this or any move.

I hereby knight thee a member of the Pitching Coach Roundtable where the opinions are spoken with the sharp tongue of truth and the bar wenches keep your chalice full of ale.

[arby58]

6 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I hereby knight thee a member of the Pitching Coach Roundtable where the opinions are spoken with the sharp tongue of truth and the bar wenches keep your chalice full of ale.

In that case, consider me entirely unqualified as well.

[AceWrigley]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I hereby knight thee a member of the Pitching Coach Roundtable where the opinions are spoken with the sharp tongue of truth and the bar wenches keep your chalice full of ale.

Ale? Can I apply?

[terrydactyls]

One comment in the article really stood out.

"Kalk is now an assistant general manager with the Twins, and his relationship with Reith should help the team get the messages they feel need to be relayed from the front office out to the mound more smoothly than ever."

Why is the front office relaying messages to the mound?  Is the front office now part of the pitching coach staff????

[Parfigliano]

50 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I hereby knight thee a member of the Pitching Coach Roundtable where the opinions are spoken with the sharp tongue of truth and the bar wenches keep your chalice full of ale.

Fill my chalice with grog.

[The Great Hambino]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Not being qualified to comment, I have no opinion on this or any move.

You may be unqualified to comment on this in a meaningful way, but I'm incredibly qualified to comment on this in a meaningless way.

I also have no opinion of this move

[Craig Arko]

The lack of opinions on this topic probably constitutes the wisest discourse ever produced on this site. Kudos.

[Linus]

I would like to join the roundtable as well but as Mark Twain once said “I refuse to be a part of any club that would have me”.

[mikelink45]

????  Okay I guess, but who knows.

Wait and see.

[1985Fan]

46 minutes ago, Linus said:

I would like to join the roundtable as well but as Mark Twain once said “I refuse to be a part of any club that would have me”.

Wrong good sir… That is a Groucho Marx quote from his tv show that I cant recall the name of now. 

[TNtwins85]

3 hours ago, DataNerd said:

Yep.  I've done some experimental analysis that puts us 6th in value from drafted pitchers since 21 and we've spent the 16th most capital on pitchers and 8th in getting value from picks.  Our pitching issues have come from (1) horrible development of international players and (2) we basically never get good pitchers in FA.  We also haven't had a guy get drafted a become an absolute stud, but we've had plenty of solid players despite not spending firsts on pitchers.

 Would tend to agree. And the last point of drafting absolute studs those tend to come in the 1st round unless you can develop them. Too many 2nd, 3rd round HS pitchers getting hurt or never developing and spending 1st round picks on the Lewis’, Larnachs and Cavaco’s of the world. They didn’t pan out either. That’s a lose lose. I really wanted them to take Flora this last draft. Big risk big reward on top tier 1st round pitchers. Also big risk big reward on position players that have mostly been 30-50% outcomes. 

[MeleMouth]

3 hours ago, Cris E said:

No one here is qualified to comment on this in any meaningful way. 

This will be the death of the internet and thus AI. Brilliant!

[thelanges5]

Shelty gets a guy he knows.
 

Per Matthew Leach:

Had a brief chat with new Twins PC Brian Reith. One nugget I found interesting: he's known Shelton for almost 30 years. Shelton was on the coaching staff for low-A Greensboro in 1998, Reith's first year as a player in full-season ball.

[shimrod]

3 hours ago, DataNerd said:

we basically never get good pitchers in FA.

That requires cash. The only pitchers that fit the Twins budget are bad ones. 

Draft and trade are the two feasible routes to good pitchers. Ideally the Twins get better at developing their draftees. 

[shimrod]

35 minutes ago, MeleMouth said:

4 hours ago, Cris E said:

No one here is qualified to comment on this in any meaningful way. 

This will be the death of the internet and thus AI. Brilliant!

He could be 100% correct (probably is) and it wouldn't impact internet commentary one whit.