Joel Michael McKeithan (born August 15, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He is the primary hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Career

McKeithan graduated from

T. C. Roberson High School T.C. Roberson High School is a high school in the Buncombe County Schools System in Asheville, North Carolina. It is located at 250 Overlook Road, Asheville, NC 28803. TC Roberson High School was founded when Valley Springs High School and Biltmo ...

in Asheville, North Carolina. He enrolled at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

. He transferred to North Carolina State University and finished his college baseball career with the NC State Wolfpack. In 2019, McKeithan served as a minor league hitting coach for the

Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. From 1994 to 2020, they were ...

, a

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He was the minor league hitting coordinator for the Detroit Tigers for the 2021 season. After the 2021 season, the Reds hired McKeithan to their major league coaching staff as their assistant hitting coach. The Reds promoted McKeithan to be their primary hitting coach after the 2022 season.

Personal life

His great-uncle,

Tim McKeithan Emmett James "Tim" McKeithan (November 2, 1906 – August 30, 1969) was an American Major League Baseball player who was a pitcher with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League from 1932 until 1934. He was listed at , weig ...

, pitched in MLB. His grandfather, Jerry Sr., played in the minor leagues, while his father played college baseball for NC State and

UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

. His brother, also named Tim, is a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, and his other brother, Aaron, plays in the minor leagues for the Cardinals organization.

References

External links

Living people Cincinnati Reds coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Baseball players from Asheville, North Carolina Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players NC State Wolfpack baseball players 1991 births Southern Illinois Miners players Gateway Grizzlies players Lake Erie Crushers players Baseball coaches from North Carolina {{US-baseball-manager-stub