The Twins announced this morning they have parted ways with pitching coach Pete Maki as well as assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez.
Maki had been with the organization since 2018, starting as a minor league pitching coordinator and working his way up the ranks until taking over as the pitching coach in 2022. Maki was unexpectedly thrust into the role after his predecessor, Wes Johnson, left the Twins to return to college baseball
as the pitching coach for LSU, in one of the strangest midseason coaching changes in baseball history. Johnson became the head coach at Georgia the next season, a role he still holds today.
Under Maki, the Twins ranked 21st in ERA, including 24th and 25th the past two seasons, but also ranked in the top 10 in most expected run prevention metrics (FIP, xFIP, xERA, SIERA, etc.) while also ranking 7th in strikeout rate and fourth in walk rate. On top of that, he oversaw the development of several All-Star caliber players like Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax, and helped young arms like Connor Prielipp, Zebby Matthews, and Andrew Morris make immense strides in 2026. It’s also worth noting the Twins defense has ranged from bad to horrendous for most of the past two seasons which didn’t do the pitchers any favors.
Even with all those positives, the Twins don’t have the offense to be competitive while giving up that many runs. The Twins have slowly been cycling out assistants over the past few years, but at the end of the day it was likely time for a new voice in the room, similar to the departure of manager Rocco Baldelli after last season.
Speaking of being thrust into jobs unexpectedly, the lack of other coaching and front office personnel announcements likely means GM Jeremy Zoll will retain his position. Zoll was ex-POBO Derek Falvey’s right hand man before taking over the top job following Falvey’s unexpected departure in the wake of a new Pohlad taking over the franchise. Given how late in the offseason Zoll took over, it’s hard to separate his work from Falvey’s, but Zoll received largely positive marks for his work at the trade deadline. He will now have his first full offseason as the lead front office executive in Minnesota, albeit one with an owner lockout looming.
