2019 Twins Coaching Staff News

[Nick Nelson]

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that Derek Shelton will indeed return to the Twins as Rocco Baldelli's bench coach, which was more or less expected after he came up short for the Rangers job.

 

The Twins made it no secret they wanted Shelton back in this role, so they're undoubtedly pleased. Shelton spoke very highly of Minnesota's front office:

 

“The offseason has been a little hectic,” Shelton said. “It’s finally getting to the point where it’s calming down. Going through the process in Minnesota, and obviously I was disappointed with that, but then the support I got from Derek and Thad and Rob Antony going into the Texas thing, I don’t think you could ask for anything better. I’m truly very appreciative of not only the process in Minnesota, but how they supported me in the process in Texas. I don’t think you get that a lot of places. It speaks to the quality of people we have working with the Minnesota Twins.” 

 

Though he was hired as bench coach almost a year ago to the day, Shelton has developed strong connections within the clubhouse and organization. He was one of the masterminds behind Joe Mauer's epic sendoff in the season finale. He also has a preexisting relationship with Rocco Baldelli from their days together in Tampa.

 

If you're curious about Shelton's coaching philosophies, he did an interview with David Laurilia of FanGraphs in August in which he shared his thoughts on managing.