5 Interesting Facts About New Twins Pitching Coach Brian Reith

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Durham Bulls

Last week the Twins announced the hiring of a new pitching coach in Brian Reith, who formerly held the same position for the Tampa Bay Rays' Triple-A affiliate. He's been in the minor-league instructional circuit for a while now, but those who follow the big leagues may be unfamiliar with his name.

To help you get acquainted, here's a rundown of Rieth's background and a few facts about him that might help shed light on why the Twins selected him, and what could be expected to change under his watch. 

A more traditional choice for pitching coach

The last two Twins pitching coaches were far from conventional. Wes Johnson was plucked straight from the college ranks with no formal experience coaching in the pros, an exceedingly rare transition. When Johnson returned from whence he came, his former assistant Pete Maki stepped in as another outside-the-box staff leader, originally drawn from the college ranks and never having pitched professionally.

When he was first hired last year, manager Derek Shelton emphasized the importance of bringing major-league experience onto the coaching staff. His initial wave of hires, which included LaTroy Hawkins and Grady Sizemore, reflected that priority. Reith does too. 

He's farther removed from his MLB playing time than Hawkins or Sizemore, but Reith threw almost 130 innings in the majors with Cincinnati back in the early 2000s. During his playing career he also pitched in China, Mexico, and indy leagues. He's got a lot of practical experience and that's a notable distinction from his predecessors. 

He has a reputation as a fastball evangelist

In a 2018 interview with IndianaRBI, Reith emphasized mastery of the fastball as foundational to effective pitching. “What I focus on mostly is fastball command and getting them to understand the four quadrants of the (strike) zone, how effective that can be and how it sets up their other pitches,” said Rieth, who was pitching coach for Tampa's Single-A affiliate at the time. “By doing this, starters can also help relievers later in the game.”

That philosophy seems to remain intact eight years later. As Twins Daily's Parker Hageman notes, the Class-AAA Durham Bulls threw a 60.2% mix of fastballs over the past five years under Reith, and with great success. The Twins, meanwhile, threw the lowest mix of fastballs in the majors last year (26.7%). 

 

The Twins have a complex decision-making structure, and of course, different personnel from Tampa's Triple-A team. Reith isn't going to just come in and commandeer game-planning singlehandedly. But I do expect we'll see this influence play out in some fashion. 

I'm here for it, in large part because more fastballs can lead to fewer walks, and that was an irritating tendency of the 2026 Twins staff. In five years with Reith as their pitching coach, Durham issued the fewest walks in Triple-A.

A successful track record

Not only did Durham excel at strike-throwing during Reith's tenure, they were also just really good in general, ranking fourth in WHIP, fifth in strikeouts and fifth in ERA among Triple-A clubs. That success can't be attributed solely to Reith; the Rays as an organization are a pitching development powerhouse, and that's why they are where they are, bidding for a World Series berth with a bottom-tier payroll. But Reith has been a key cog in their integrated system for many years. 

Short of actual major-league experience, I can't imagine what more I'd want to see from a pitching coach's track record to instill confidence.

Connections to current Twins players and coaches

It wouldn't be a Twins hire if there wasn't some historical familiarity. Reith comes over from a Rays organization that previously employed Shelton, and his predecessor Rocco Baldelli. Reith overlapped with Minnesota's pitching-minded assistant GM Josh Kalk in Tampa as well, and that feels like a particularly meaningful connection.

During his time with the Rays, Reith also worked with several current Twins pitchers, including some pertinent names:

• Taj Bradley: Spent considerable time pitching Durham over the years and was there when the Twins traded for him at the deadline in 2025. “My relationship with (Bradley) is good,” Reith said after joining the Twins. “It’s a mature relationship. We’ve worked well together in the past, and I’m really excited to work with him again and continue that and build on that some more.”
• Joe Ryan: Reith was coaching in the minors for Tampa as Ryan developed into a legit pitching prospect, and oversaw him directly at Class-A Bowling Green in 2019. Ryan came up as one of the most extreme fastball-heavy pitchers in the game, which seems relevant given the prior note about Reith's philosophies.
• Relievers: Yoendrys Gómez was with Tampa on a minor-league deal this past spring and made the team, so he didn't actually pitch in Triple-A, but I'm sure the two crossed paths at least. Reith did coach Eric Orze and Garrett Acton in Durham, though it remains to be seen if those two will stay in the 2027 picture. Maybe their history with Reith gives them a leg up.

A bridge between analytics and instruction

This, I believe, is what the Twins are hoping Reith can actualize. The game of baseball is increasingly driven by data and analytics. Every team uses them to some extent, but the most effective ones are able to translate information into actionable and impactful guidance. 

The new hire brings an interesting blend of experience in this regard. He made it to the big leagues as a pitcher. His fastball-centric mindset feels decidedly old school. Despite coming from an analytics-oriented Rays organization, and surely is adept with technology, you don't read his quotes and get the sense that he leads with it.

Kyle Gibson, who pitched for Durham in Triple-A in 2025 before retiring, told Dan Hayes of The Athletic that Reith "has an incredible understanding of how to use analytics to best set a pitcher up for success. He understands the delivery really well also, and will be a huge asset as the Twins keep developing pitching."

Here's hoping. There's definitely a lot to like.

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

I was curious why Reith had not been previously promoted by the Rays to be their major league pitching coach. I discovered that Reith has been blocked by Rays longtime pitching coach, Kyle Snyder. Snyder has been the Rays successful pitching coach since 2018.  These two coaches are about the same age. This is a very intriguing hire by the Twins. Welcome to the Twins Brian Reith. I hope the front office acquires some flame throwing lefties for you to coach. 

[Trov]

I personally believe the fastball control and location is one of the most important parts of pitching.  It is the backbone to full set of pitches.  Yes, pen guys can get away with an elite slider, or change up, because they will only face a guy one time, but starters need to have multiple pitches and throwing and controlling the fastball is important.

Also, it is not just about throwing the same fastball over and over.  There are different types you can throw. One of Rays best pitchers, Rasmussen, throws fastball about 76% of the time, but it is broken up into 3 different types, 4 seam, cutter, and sinker. 

I am not saying you can only get by with fastballs, but when you can hit all 4 corners it makes your other pitchers that much stronger.  Joe Ryan had an issue where his fastballs normally were up, and breaking stuff down, so it was easier for hitters to figure out what was what.  Eventually, he was able to pitch some fastballs at the knees for strikes, that makes the breaking pitch better.  If you can mix a 4 seam up, with a sinker up that falls into the zone, it makes the 4 seam up that much better.  Same with bottom of zone, it will get more chase, or rolling over the sinker down.  Cutters on inside and outside of zones mixed with 4 seams are that much more effective too.  Throw in a change or slider from time to time you will get that much more chases.

The key to pitching, has and always will be about keeping hitters guessing.  Location and changing of speeds go a long way.  I do agree pure velo and movement will always be hard to handle for hitters, but you can turn the velo up to 100 on the pitching machine and pump it the same spot eventually the hitters will hit it. If you get them looking up, and you hit the knees, or inside to outside that is what is effective. 

[mike8791]

Glad to see TD taking a more in-depth look at our new pitching coach!  I'm particularly pleased they hired someone with an established rep with a solid org. like the Rays.  While I had hoped the Twins would have made a bigger splash by poaching an established, successful major league coach, on the surface this selection seems like a particularly good fit for an org. badly in need of new blood.

My only nit to pick is why didn't guys like Ryan and Bradley emerge with the Rays, rather than the Twins?  Yes, Ryan was pretty young when traded but Bradley was a touted prospect who never really caught fire with the Rays org.  Lots of factors in grooming a successful big leaguers, so I don't want to single out Reith for this, but it does raise some questions. And, as many have noted, most of the Ray's pitching strength have come from trades rather than internal development.  I guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that the new guy will be more successful in accelerating progression to major league stardom the old ones.

[LastOnePicked]

Very helpful, Nick. Good work. I tend to worry about a coach openly identifying a single or dominant approach with pitching or hitting - I hate to see the Twins get too scout-able and too easy to game-plan against. But Reith's track-record suggests success, so we'll see how it plays out.

If our pitchers are giving up a ton of extra-base hits on first or second pitch fastballs, we'll see how the plan adjusts.

[Coach]

21 minutes ago, mike8791 said:

Glad to see TD taking a more in-depth look at our new pitching coach!  I'm particularly pleased they hired someone with an established rep with a solid org. like the Rays.  While I had hoped the Twins would have made a bigger splash by poaching an established, successful major league coach, on the surface this selection seems like a particularly good fit for an org. badly in need of new blood.

My only nit to pick is why didn't guys like Ryan and Bradley emerge with the Rays, rather than the Twins?  Yes, Ryan was pretty young when traded but Bradley was a touted prospect who never really caught fire with the Rays org.  Lots of factors in grooming a successful big leaguers, so I don't want to single out Reith for this, but it does raise some questions. And, as many have noted, most of the Ray's pitching strength have come from trades rather than internal development.  I guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that the new guy will be more successful in accelerating progression to major league stardom the old ones.

Taj's biggest problem that landed him back in AAA was that he was not studying scouting reports or hitter's data.  When the Twins got him, all that improved, and so did he.

[MackMan]

I remember many coaches telling me growing up, "Everything starts with the fastball." This guy takes it literally and it does make sense. If you can start to tunnel everything starting with the fastball, the off-speed and breaking pitches start to look really good as well. This is especially true if you can pair the fastball with a decent change-up and a lights out slider/sweeper. 

Start making everything look like a fastball out of the hand and the hitters will be flailing at everything. Or they get caught looking at pitches that catch the black on the outside/inside part of the plate. I think this gameplan, will help our pitchers pitch deeper into the games and our relievers become more reliable with less walks issued.

[4twinsJA]

Thanks for article, Nick. Most of time, the average fan knows little of pitching coaches background except maybe where they coached last. 

[bjorks]

Great insight. Is it just me or does it seem like the Twins are "committing" more to analytics as a FO and Staff? The game as Nick mentioned is being driven more-and-more by them it seemed the Twins were always a little behind. 

It'll be interesting to see what they'll do with Prielipp, who's FB became less and less effective once he reached MLB. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The Twins need Prielipp and Rojas to be successful. Left handed pitchers are very valuable. I understand trading Dasan Hill, but because he is a 6' 5" lefty and throws 99 mph and has a lot of room to grow stronger as he adds weight, he may become something special in a few years. His FB is rated as a 60.  I do like Hoffman, but the Twins may live to regret trading Hill.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'd love to use this information and for tracking purposes point out some pitchers, specifically that could start, who would benefit from using their fastball more often that the Twins could target. But even more than that, which of the Twins current starting options would benefit from using their fastballs more? Does Zebby or Prielipp or Rojas or Abel or Bradley (or all of the guys on 1 year deals who may or may not be traded) have a good fastball shape that should be used more often?

I have a hunch that Freddy Peralta would be a good option to target, but I also don't believe he'd be in the Twins price range. Especially with other holes that are on this team

 

[KBJ1]

Sounds like a great hire?

[dxpavelka]

5 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I can't imagine a scenario where Josh Bell is playing for the Minnesota Twins next season. Why do you think he will be back? He can't play 1b, and they have (at minimum) 5 outfielders once Buxton is healthy who can all get playing time.

IF he could play 1b, then that would make sense. Otherwise, I just can't see it.

When is the last time this team DIDN'T have a guy on the roster who profiles like Bell does?  And for the most part they have gotten surprising production from said guys.  Bell lead the team in RBIs.  Yeah, I know he has no defensive value but some very successful teams have had a guy who didn't even own a glove.  I know folks get hung up on versatility but we really should be more concerned with value.  Is being able to play multiple positions all that valuable if you can't swing a stick?  But anyway, back to the list of such guys, Ty France won a Gold Glove. OK, sure he was with Toronto when he did it.  Carlos Santana had a nice run here as well.  We don't win the division in 2023 without Donovan Solano being the engine.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

When is the last time this team DIDN'T have a guy on the roster who profiles like Bell does?  And for the most part they have gotten surprising production from said guys.  Bell lead the team in RBIs.  Yeah, I know he has no defensive value but some very successful teams have had a guy who didn't even own a glove.  I know folks get hung up on versatility but we really should be more concerned with value.  Is being able to play multiple positions all that valuable if you can't swing a stick?  But anyway, back to the list of such guys, Ty France won a Gold Glove. OK, sure he was with Toronto when he did it.  Carlos Santana had a nice run here as well.  We don't win the division in 2023 without Donovan Solano being the engine.

Ok, so then who of Roden and Rodriguez and Buxton and Jenkins and Keaschall are you jettisoning?

[theBOMisthebomb]

He's obviously our guy if he received Gibby's endorsement. 

[HarmonK03]

5 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Ok, so then who of Roden and Rodriguez and Buxton and Jenkins and Keaschall are you jettisoning?

While I want them to rotate the DH spot and not have a DH only player, Roden is a fourth outfielder, AAA depth piece.  He has done nothing to say we have to find a place in the lineup for him and he is no longer a prospect at 27.

[HarmonK03]

19 hours ago, bjorks said:

Great insight. Is it just me or does it seem like the Twins are "committing" more to analytics as a FO and Staff

The Twins have been going all in on analytics since Falvey arrived in 2017.  They are now trying to field staff that buys in more it appears.  Last year that was one of the things they said about the new hitting coach is he could translate the data better to hitters.

This is just another step in the overuse of analytics, it should be a tool not the driving decision maker.

[Cory Engelhardt]

3 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

While I want them to rotate the DH spot and not have a DH only player, Roden is a fourth outfielder, AAA depth piece.  He has done nothing to say we have to find a place in the lineup for him and he is no longer a prospect at 27.

Just saying this without actually looking at the production he provided both at aaa and in the majors in 2026 is wild.

Josh Bell was fine. He had an ok season. Good for him. Seems like a good dude. He won’t be back

[HarmonK03]

3 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Just saying this without actually looking at the production he provided both at aaa and in the majors in 2026 is wild.

Josh Bell was fine. He had an ok season. Good for him. Seems like a good dude. He won’t be back

He had a good August and in July he was below league average.  And in 2025, he couldn't hit in the major leagues either.  I am not clearing a spot for him based on one month of good production in the major leagues when he is no longer a top prospect.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, HarmonK03 said:

He had a good August and in July he was below league average.  And in 2025, he couldn't hit in the major leagues either.  I am not clearing a spot for him based on one month of good production in the major leagues when he is no longer a top prospect.

You and I are not going to agree here.

Even with that, let’s say Roden does start at aaa. I don’t see that happening, but let’s say it happens.

What is your opening day outfield and DH then? Knowing of course that E Rod can’t be optioned to the minors

[HarmonK03]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

You and I are not going to agree here.

Even with that, let’s say Roden does start at aaa. I don’t see that happening, but let’s say it happens.

What is your opening day outfield and DH then? Knowing of course that E Rod can’t be optioned to the minors

Opening day outfield and DH is a mix of ERod, Jenkins, Buxton and Keaschall.  I didn't say Roden had to be in AAA, but the choices are either backup OF or AAA.  I am not starting him over two of the top prospects in the organization or Buxton or Keaschall

You haven't said why you think he should get regular playing time, is this based on a small sample size of 50 good plate appearances.  He has always put up good numbers in AAA, it has to translate to the majors and hasn't yet.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

Opening day outfield and DH is a mix of ERod, Jenkins, Buxton and Keaschall.  I didn't say Roden had to be in AAA, but the choices are either backup OF or AAA.  I am not starting him over two of the top prospects in the organization or Buxton or Keaschall

You haven't said why you think he should get regular playing time, is this based on a small sample size of 50 good plate appearances.  He has always put up good numbers in AAA, it has to translate to the majors and hasn't yet.

It's not just small sample. I love his underlying data too. I don't know if you believe in baseball savant, but his page is a LOT of red. A lot more red than many of his Twins teammates. He doesn't chase, he hits the ball relatively hard, and he doesn't strike out a ton. Frankly I believe in his bat an awful lot more than I do E Rod's, both for his production at AAA in his career and for what he showed in the majors in 2026.

I don't know what the plan is for them acquiring a new 1B/middle of the order bat. But I do think there will be at bats available for him at 1B and in the outfield this year. That's because A) His production looks like it'll be solid at minimum, as well as B) with the injury history that Buxton, Jenkins and E Rod have all shown, I have to think he'll get playing time in the outfield.

Also generally, he won't be a speed demon in the outfield, but he certainly is a much better athlete with a lot better range than Larnach ever was.

[dxpavelka]

On 10/20/2026 at 12:56 AM, Cory Engelhardt said:

Ok, so then who of Roden and Rodriguez and Buxton and Jenkins and Keaschall are you jettisoning?

Of the guys you named, Roden 100% and without question.  And any of Larnach / Martin / Wallner being here instead of Bell would almost certainly be a mistake as well.  And it's gonna take a lot to convince me that Kreidler's glove and MI versatility is enough to overcome his ability to put up .218 with the stick.  We will spend the next 3-4 months obsessing over who will be the 13 guys bringing sticks north to start the season as if a Roden / Larnach / Martin / Wallner not doing so is a death sentence.  Last year we brought 13 guys north in March.  11 more guys got opportunities before the end of the season.  Put the BEST players on the roster and let things work themselves out.

[DJL44]

If the Twins really want to win they need a better DH than Josh Bell. He’s 1.5 wins below league average as a DH. He’s also not getting any younger. Keeping Larnach is a better idea than bringing back Bell.

Back to the topic of the pitching coach hire, it certainly looks like they are trying to find a pitching coach who agrees with the fastball-first philosophy of the front office.

Upgrading the defense is going to be necessary to make that philosophy successful. Fastballs don’t generate as much swing-and-miss as breaking pitches. That may be one reason why Maki called so many breaking pitches.

When he talks about setting up relievers, it could be interesting to see Ober come into the game in relief throwing offspeed slop after the batters have been fed a steady diet of 96 mph fastballs.

[bjorks]

The thing about Roden if someone hasn't looked is his numbers through the upper levels of the minors were strong. In 350 games he's a .299/.408/.894 in the big 3. Never will hit for much power, but Roden especially with Toronoto. As recently as '25 MLB had him 55/50/50, hit/power/overall ranking. Roden doesn't suck, he's never gotten consistent opportunity in MLB. He may be nothing more than a AAAA player or 4th OF, but Roden's metrics and pedigree are stronger than Outmann, Cave, Martin, Celestino, Margot, Grossman, etc. 

 

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Keeping Larnach is a better idea than bringing back Bell.

Larnach will not lead his team in plate appearances the way Bell did (or, tied for, anyway).  Or, put a different way, if Larnach were force-fed more PA against lefties, he would stop looking like a better idea than Bell.  If you have room on your roster to commit to playing someone else against a lefty starter, and pinch-hitting when a lefty reliever comes in, then Larnach could be the beginning to a better DH solution.  But you can platoon only so many ways on a 13-man position player roster and you can pinch hit only 4 times in a game.  A commitment to Larnach at DH would involve tradeoffs elsewhere.  To me it's not clearly a "better idea".  It's a Pick Your Poison idea.