5 Interesting Facts About New Twins Pitching Coach Brian Reith

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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