Is It Time for the Twins to Shuffle the Coaching Staff?
The Minnesota Twins have come out of the gates for the 2024 MLB regular season in about the most lethargic way possible. While the pitching staff has been stout, the lineup has been every bit the problem it was a season ago. It’s time to rip the Band-Aid off and fix the hitting process.
When Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were hired to lead Minnesota’s front office instead of Terry Ryan, they were handed a holdover manager in Paul Molitor. It took two years for them to make their own hire instead, in the form of Rocco Baldelli, and he’s largely been a success story in terms of communication and results. Rudy Hernandez was a Molitor holdover, and while the front office has also brought in David Popkins and Derek Shomon to help out the hitters, the three-headed department now needs to be under a microscope.
It was well-documented just how bad the Twins were a season ago when it came to hitting with runners in scoring position. Failing to push runs across the plate is why the team found themselves hovering around .500 at the midway point, and it wasn’t until the Cleveland Guardians completely fell off that the division tilted in Minnesota’s favor.
Royce Lewis was eventually inserted into the Twins lineup, and so was hot-hitting rookie Matt Wallner. The production ticked upward, and Minnesota found themselves hosting postseason games and winning a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ultimately, though, the lineup could still be inconsistent, and the same problems have reared their head to start the 2024 season.
Despite moving on from both Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda in the starting rotation, and losing big names like Caleb Thielbar, Jhoan Durán, Justin Topa, and Josh Staumont from the bullpen, it hasn’t been the pitching that has scuffled out of the gate. With a lineup unable to score runs, failure to execute with runners in scoring position again, and an overall lack of execution, it’s time for the specialty coaches to come under fire.
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When Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were hired to lead Minnesota’s front office instead of Terry Ryan, they were handed a holdover manager in Paul Molitor. It took two years for them to make their own hire instead, in the form of Rocco Baldelli, and he’s largely been a success story in terms of communication and results. Rudy Hernandez was a Molitor holdover, and while the front office has also brought in David Popkins and Derek Shomon to help out the hitters, the three-headed department now needs to be under a microscope.
It was well-documented just how bad the Twins were a season ago when it came to hitting with runners in scoring position. Failing to push runs across the plate is why the team found themselves hovering around .500 at the midway point, and it wasn’t until the Cleveland Guardians completely fell off that the division tilted in Minnesota’s favor.
Royce Lewis was eventually inserted into the Twins lineup, and so was hot-hitting rookie Matt Wallner. The production ticked upward, and Minnesota found themselves hosting postseason games and winning a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ultimately, though, the lineup could still be inconsistent, and the same problems have reared their head to start the 2024 season.
Despite moving on from both Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda in the starting rotation, and losing big names like Caleb Thielbar, Jhoan Durán, Justin Topa, and Josh Staumont from the bullpen, it hasn’t been the pitching that has scuffled out of the gate. With a lineup unable to score runs, failure to execute with runners in scoring position again, and an overall lack of execution, it’s time for the specialty coaches to come under fire.
With Tyler Wells shelved after an elbow injury, the Baltimore Orioles called upon Albert Suárez to start the final game of a three-game series on Wednesday. Having not pitched in the majors since 2017, he nonetheless shoved against Minnesota. While he generated just four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, he got 14 whiffs on 75 pitches and his fastball was untouchable, as far as Twins batters were concerned.
Preparation and process are the responsibilities of position coaches, and putting Minnesota in a spot where the lineup can execute is the chief role for Popkins, Hernandez, and Shomon. It may be a communication problem, in that the players simply aren’t grasping or working hard enough to implement what they’re being told, but that doesn’t make the situation any better. If there is an inherent issue with process, we have seen enough results at this point to conclude something different is needed as well.
