The Twins stunned the draft by selecting 6-foot-11 Oregon pitcher Jason Reitz—making him the tallest arm ever taken in MLB history. With two Tommy Johns already behind him, Minnesota is betting big on upside and raw power.
Oregon baseball continues to make waves in the 2025 MLB Draft, and this time, one of its own just made history on the national stage.
That would be 20-year-old right-hander Jason Reitz, who was selected in the fourth round, No. 119 overall, by the Minnesota Twins. He’s now the highest-drafted Oregon pitcher since Matt Krook went in the fourth round to the San Francisco Giants back in 2018.
But Reitz didn’t just make program history—he made some of his own. At 6-foot-11, he’s officially the tallest pitcher ever drafted into Major League Baseball. The only other pitcher to ever reach that height was former reliever Jon Rauch, who, coincidentally, also pitched for the Twins.
Reitz entered the draft ranked No. 191 overall by MLB.com, so hearing his name in the fourth round may have raised some eyebrows.
But there’s a reason teams were intrigued. If not for two Tommy John surgeries already on his resume, there’s a good chance he would’ve gone even higher.
Still, Minnesota didn’t hesitate. The Twins saw the upside and made a bet on his size, stuff, and long-term potential.
“A gangly presence on the mound at 6-foot-11, Reitz does have the chance to start with four potential pitches to work on as he moves forward in his fastball, cutter, slider and changeup,” They wrote. “He and the Ducks have a tendency to pitch a little backwards and lean too heavily on his mid-80s cutter, though it has the chance to be a solid pitch. His fastball has been up to 97-98 mph, sitting more around 93, and he shows off the makings of a separate slider and a decent changeup.”
This past season, Reitz went 5-1 in 64.1 innings, striking out 73 batters with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.228 WHIP—a strong line that turned heads despite his limited innings.
Under President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, the Twins have quietly built a reputation for developing arms, especially ones with injury history. At just 20 years old, with elite size and a rebuilt arm, Reitz could very well project as a long-term bullpen weapon down the line.
And that might be exactly what Minnesota has in mind. After all, they’ve already struck gold with late-blooming flamethrowers like Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Don’t be surprised if Jake Reitz is the next name added to that list.
Category: Baseball
