Twins Name Garvin Alston New Pitching Coach.

[Seth Stohs]

I'd never heard of him, so here's the press release...

 

 

TWINS NAME GARVIN ALSTON PITCHING COACH

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have named Garvin Alston as Pitching Coach.  Alston becomes the 16th pitching coach in club history and fourth since 1985.

 

Alston, 45, most recently served as Major League Bullpen Coach for the Oakland Athletics after beginning the 2017 season as Pitching Rehab Coordinator for the San Diego Padres.  The 2018 season will mark Alston’s 14th as a coach in some capacity at the professional level. He previously served as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Major League Bullpen Coach in 2016, Minor League Pitching Coordinator for Oakland in 2015, Minor League Rehab Pitching Coordinator for Oakland from 2009-14, and Oakland’s Single-A Pitching Coach in Stockton (2007-08) and Kane County (2005-06).

 

The Mount Vernon, New York native was selected by the Rockies in the 10th round of the 1992 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida International University in Miami, Florida.  The former right-handed pitcher played nine seasons of professional baseball in the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations, including six appearances in the major leagues with the Rockies in 1996.

 

 

[GP830]

Wow! Never heard of him! 

[Mike Sixel]

Was not expecting such an obscure name!

 

good luck to him, and the Twins.

[Thrylos]

Congrats and I hope that he puts his stamp to the Twins the same way the other new coaches outside the organization did last season.

[Squirrel]

Okay, well ... a few said they wanted someone they've never heard of before ... those few got their wish. I'll decide if I like it sometime next season.

[Guest]

Sean Doolittle on transitioning to pitching after being injured as a first baseman:

 

“He was a big reason the transition went the way it did. . . I always drop his name everywhere I go when people ask me about the process, but he’s reluctant to take credit for it. But there’s no way it would have gone the way it did without Garvin’s help.”

[Vanimal46]

Welcome aboard, Mr. Alston! 

[USAFChief]

Good luck!

[nicksaviking]

I like that we've never heard of him and he seemingly has no ties to the front office. There are few conclusions to draw other than the front office did their due diligence. We don't have to question if simply having a big name had any part in the hire.

[Guest]

He’s from the same hometown as Rowson. If it works the same, the Twins should give a scholarship to the school system.

[drjim]

Have to say I'm surprised they went with such an unknown quantity with so many seemingly good veteran pitching coach options out there, while also (theoretically) in a position to make a strong playoff push. But with the coaching hires last year the front office certainly deserves the assumption they know what they're doing.

[drjim]

[drjim]

[Guest]

I'd never heard of him, so here's the press release...

 

 

TWINS NAME GARVIN ALSTON PITCHING COACH

 

Minor League Rehab Pitching Coordinator for Oakland from 2009-14

 

This could be valuable experience.

[Vanimal46]

 

 

Interesting names, especially Prior. It's been a while, but he was thought to have impeccable mechanics before his arm failed him, no?

[Old Twins Cap]

I will bet the farm that this guy is big on data, saber-mechanics, video -- pitching has so many rich avenues to explore.

[Cory Engelhardt]

Hiring a new/young voice to help coach the pitching in a way that Falvey wants them to be coached. Also, he understands data and how to communicate it in a manner that the players will easily understand. Seems like a good fit in many ways. Hopefully it works out and our pitching improves with his tutelage.

[Blake]

Good, I like this. Maybe it won't work, but it does signal a willingness to work outside the "good old boy" coaching network.

[tvagle]

 

I'd never heard of him, so here's the press release...

 

 

TWINS NAME GARVIN ALSTON PITCHING COACH

I had never heard of him at all but somehow the name rang a bell

So, I did a little research

 

Headed over to ancestry.com and yep sure enough right there on the first page I saw

 

Great-great Grandad - Walter Alston    

 

Drafted by Old-time Twin connection Bob Gebhard

 

Congrats and Welcome to Minnesota

[Tuba]

Wow, with so many well-respected names out there. Bold! I like it. 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

That's because he's going back to Ol' Joe and joining the Cubbies!

[Bob Sacamento]

 

I will bet the farm that this guy is big on data, saber-mechanics, video -- pitching has so many rich avenues to explore.

Yep word is that those are very strong suits of Alston as well as connecting with young pitchers, so the hiring fits what Falvey and company were looking for just not a big name like many fans were wanting.

[drjim]

That's because he's going back to Ol' Joe and joining the Cubbies!

Makes sense. Maybe he wanted a Twins offer to get a little more out of the Cubs.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Huh. Pulled from the Padres/A's organization. Seems like an odd choice but okay.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Out of curiosity (given that MLB coaching is historically lily white): the Twins now have black hitting and pitching coaches.

 

Is this a first in baseball? 

[Han Joelo]

Nice to see they didn't just play musical chairs with everybody else. Fun to see someone get their shot.

[Mr. Brooks]

Nice to see they didn't just play musical chairs with everybody else. Fun to see someone get their shot.

Agree completely. Everyone realizes that all these "established names" have been fired for some reason, right?

[Bark's Lounge]

I'm cool with it. Falvey and Co. hired a hitting coach who seemed to know how to work with the hitting aspect of things and we did not really know who he was and it was successful. Maybe this will work out just as good.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

I wuz just gonna say this

 

 

Agree completely. Everyone realizes that all these "established names" have been fired for some reason, right?

 

[Roaddog]

Never heard of him. But I hadn't heard of Rowson either.