The Cincinnati Reds have officially found their new pitching coach, and Terry Francona sounds pretty excited about the hire.

Cincinnati hired Joe Torres, who spent the last five seasons working with the Cleveland Guardians. Torres will now reunite with Francona, who knows firsthand how successful Cleveland has been at developing pitchers.

During Wednesday's appearance on Reds Hot Stove, Francona had plenty of praise for his new pitching coach.

“He spent the last five years sitting next to Carl Willis," Francona told Jim Day. "You’ve been around me long enough how much regard I hold Carl. And Joe has been with him for five years now. And he’s a younger version of Carl. I think he’s going to make a big difference. Just from talking to him, we all know how Cleveland has done with their pitching throughout the organization. He’s going to bring some new ideas. He understands about us needing to throw strikes. I’ve already talked to him, but he’s talked to Oscar and Tracey. He’s hitting the ground running. He’s going to have a busy month because if we do have a lockout, I know he wants to touch base with a lot of guys before that.”

Francona followed that up with even higher praise.

“I just think he’s going to be phenomenal.”

Encouraging to Hear

It's certainly encouraging to hear Francona speak so highly of Torres, especially considering how badly the Reds need to improve their pitching staff.

Cincinnati's pitching staff was supposed to be a strength, but instead, it was a major problem throughout the 2026 season. The Reds finished with a 4.83 team ERA, ranking 28th in baseball, and led the majors with 668 walks.

That last number is especially concerning, and it's interesting that Francona specifically mentioned Torres understanding of the importance of throwing strikes.

The Reds have several young pitchers with plenty of talent, but too many struggled with command last season.

Torres will have his work cut out for him, especially with Hunter Greene expected to miss the 2027 season.

The good news is that Torres comes from an organization that has consistently found ways to develop quality pitching.

Of course, that doesn't guarantee he'll have the same success in Cincinnati, but it's a promising hire and Francona clearly believes Torres is the right guy for the job.

Now, we'll see if that confidence translates into better results on the mound in 2027.

You can listen to Francona's full interview on the Reds Hot Stove here.

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