The Cincinnati Reds announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have found their new pitching coach. Joe Torres, who had been an assitant pitching coach with the Cleveland Guardians since back in 2022, will assume the roll immediately and work with the staff as it heads into the 2027 season.
Torres, now 44 years old, is a former 1st round draft pick of the then Anaheim Angels from back in 2000. A lefty, he got off to a sharp start
within an Angels organization that won the World Series in 2002, and Baseball America even named him the #50 overall prospect in the game prior to 2001. He missed all of the 2004 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and his pitching career went sideways from that moment on, and he never actually made it to the big leagues after bouncing around the farm systems of the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies.
Beginning in 2017, he began coaching on the Guardians farm, doing so while the likes of Terry Francona managed the big league club. That means that the current Reds pitching coach, 1B coach (Colin Cowgill), and hitting coach (Chris Valaika) all spent time under Francona either playing or coaching during the future Hall of Fame manager’s time spearheading the Guardians.
Torres will replace Derek Johnson, who served as the franchise’s overall pitching coordinator prior to his leave of absence last June. Johnson, who came to the Reds as the team’s pitching coach back in 2018, was relieved of his duties at season’s end after having been absent for the final 3+ months of the 2026 season.
