Borrego Earns Big-League Promotion as Twins Complete Their 2025 Coaching Staff

[Seth Stohs]

Following the Twins epic collapse in the final six weeks of the 2024 season, several coaches were relieved of their duties. On Thursday, the Twins announced three new additions to their big-league coaching staff. 

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge

At the conclusion of the Twins regular season, the Twins announced that hitting coaches David Popkins, Rudy Hernandez, and Derek Shomon, as well as assistant bench coach Tony Diaz, would not be returning for the 2025 season. About a month ago, we learned that the Twins had hired Matt Borgschulte from the Orioles as their hitting coach. On Thursday, we learned that he will be joined by Trevor Amicone and Rayden Sierra as hitting coaches. In addition, Ramon Borrego has been named the team's first base coach and infield coach. Hank Conger, who was the team's first base coach, has been moved up to assistant bench coach. 

Trevor Amicone is the one coach who is completely new to the organization. He has spent the past two seasons as the hitting coach for the Yankees Triple-A club, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Roaders. The Utah native played ball at Weber State University. After his playing days, he joined the staff of Dixie State University (now Utah Tech). He joined the Yankees organization in 2020. 

Rayden Sierra joined the Twins organization in 2021. He was a hitting coach for Fort Myers for parts of three seasons, and was moved up to an assistant hitting coordinator under Bryce Berg and Ryan Smith in 2024. He was born in Boca Chica, in the Dominican Republic, which is where the Twins DSL academy is located. He played some college ball at Broward College and Cumberland University before joining the college coaching ranks in 2020. He began coaching at Florida SouthWestern State College in Ft. Myers before joining the Twins organization. 

Early in the 2022 season, Sierra helped me interview Emmanuel Rodriguez in a "Three Questions With" segment: 

Ramon Borrego has been in the Twins organization for a long time. The 46-year-old from Maracay, Venezuela, joined the Minnesota Twins as a player in 1996 and played seven seasons in the organization, reaching Triple-A Edmonton in 2002. Like many players in the Twins organization, Borrego was a versatile utility option. He played primarily at second base, but he also got significant time at third base, shortstop and left field. He hit a little bit in the lower minor-league levels, but as he moved up, his batting average and on-base percentage moved down.   

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He has been a coach or manager in the Twins organization the past 21 seasons. He began by coaching at the Twins Venezuelan Academy in 2004. When the Twins moved out of Venezuela, Borrego joined the Dominican Summer League coaching staff in 2009. He managed the GCL Twins for seven seasons, starting in 2011. In 2018, he managed the Fort Myers Miracle. He has been the Twins Double-A manager since 2019 when the team was in Pensacola, and in Wichita since 2021. He was also the third base coach for Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. 

Borrego joins the team as their first base and infield coach. He is very well respected by seemingly all of the players he has managed. He knows the game very well including the minute details that a manager needs to notice. 

Simeon Woods Richardson, who pitched for Borrego briefly in 2021 and also in 2022, said, "he’s a great guy. He loves to win, brings a light fun energy to the field every day, but also expects a lot out of his players."

Fellow Venezuelan and one of the Twins top prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez said, "For me, Ramon Borrego is one of the best managers I have been able to (play for) in my professional career." He continued by pointing out that Borrego gives his players a lot of confidence and belief that they are the best at what they do.

Rodriguez played for Borrego during the 2024 season. Side note, asked about his wrist, Rodriguez said, "I'm better now." 

Recently added to the Twins 40-man roster, Travis Adams, who pitched for Borrego in 2023 and 2024, said, "He was a great manager down in Double-A, and I think he can help out the big-league team. It's a well-deserved promotion." 

Lefty Jaylen Nowlin, who pitched in Wichita parts of the past two seasons, said of Borrego, "Ramon was a manager that really enjoys the game and all he wanted to see is his players compete no matter the result."

Kody Funderburk pitched for Borrego at the end of the 2021 season, all of 2022, and the start of 2023. He said, "I would just say that Ramon was one of my favorite managers during my time through the minor leagues. As a manger he had a way to get guys to want to win each and every game. He’s also an extremely hard worker as I’ve seen him work regularly with the infielders in their daily prep everyday. I’m excited for him and this opportunity."

Alex Isola spent 2022 and 2023 in Wichita, and returned late in the 2024 season briefly. "Ramon is one of the hardest working coaches in the organization and is there for players. He’s deserves this."

Former Twins outfielder Mark Contreras played for Borrego in Fort Myers in 2018, in Pensacola in 2019, and then in Wichita in 2021. "First off, (Borrego) is just an all around Great Human Being. Thus far in my career, he has been a manager I’ve had that truly puts caring for his players at the forefront of his priorities. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about the game and really wants to win. Not only does he care about winning, but he cares about the development of his players leading to the wins on the field. He can only do so much with preparation, but he holds every one of his players accountable, to show up, get the necessary work in they need and what he suggests they do, and prepare for 100% effort everyday because you know he will bring the energy and hopes you match his 100%. Congratulations to him because he is very deserving of this promotion to the big leagues."

(Check back for more thoughts on Ramon Borrego's promotion to the big-league coaching staff.)

So here is a quick glance at the 2025 Minnesota Twins coaching staff, led by Manager Rocco Baldelli: 
Jayce Tingler - Bench Coach
Hank Conger - Assistant Bench Coach/Catching Coach 
Matt Borgschulte - Hitting Coach
Trevor Amicone - Assistant Hitting Coach
Rayden Sierra - Hitting Coach
Pete Maki - Pitching Coach 
Luis Ramirez - Assistant Pitching Coach
Colby Suggs - Bullpen Coach
Tommy Watkins - Third Base Coach/Outfield Coach
Ramon Borrego - First Base Coach/Infield Coach
Nate Dammann - Quality Control Coach 

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[CRF]

Conger moved to assistant bench coach? The Tingler needs an assistant? Really? 

[rdehring]

Interesting titles for the hitting coaches, Seth.  There are two hitting coaches and one assistant.  Would think there would be a hitting coach, Borgschulte, and the other two would be assistants?

[mikelink45]

What do all of these guys do?  Should we blame the bench coach when the manager screws up or should we dump on the assistant bench coach.  Do they need so many coaches so they can have someone to play cribbage with when the game gets boring?

Counting the manager there are 12 coaches for 25 guys!  And what the hell is the quality control coach?  If the guy in charge of quality control last season is still here he should be fired!  And maybe we should hire 13 more coaches so each player can have their own private guru or psychologist or sociologist.  Shouldn't there be at least one woman - a mom for when the guys have a bad day? 

 

[Parfigliano]

Why is Watkins still 3B coach?

[jorgenswest]

These three are positive additions to the staff. 

[Doctor Gast]

13 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Why is Watkins still 3B coach?

There were so many sacrificial lambs but the ones that should have been fired (the ones who adhere to Falvey's philosophy) weren't & some were even promoted. I'd have liked Falvey. Baldelli (at least demoted to bench coach so he can really learn how to manage from a more qualified manager), Tingler, Watkins & Conger relieved of their duties.

Borrego seems to be an improvement over Conger. IMO Falvey's idea for catchers is can they hit HRs?  Can they follow spreadsheets & take orders from the bench? The rest is frivolous & needs no attention so the catching coach can be spread around everywhere else.  Tanner Swanson was greatly acclaimed here & when he went to NYY he greatly improved their catcher drafting, and development & put a lot of time into working with their MLB catchers. Tanner has done a great job elevating the NYY catching dept. What has Conger done? Twins' catcher drafting and development are nonexistent & he lets the catchers figure out on their own what they need to know. The Twins' catching dept. is in shambles. And Falvey doesn't care, he got the man he wants in there.

[Doctor Wu]

13 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Why is Watkins still 3B coach?

I was going to ask that same question!

[FargoFanMan]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

There were so many sacrificial lambs but the ones that should have been fired (the ones who adhere to Falvey's philosophy) weren't & some were even promoted. I'd have liked Falvey. Baldelli (at least demoted to bench coach so he can really learn how to manage from a more qualified manager), Tingler, Watkins & Conger relieved of their duties.

Borrego seems to be an improvement over Conger. IMO Falvey's idea for catchers is can they hit HRs?  Can they follow spreadsheets & take orders from the bench? The rest is frivolous & needs no attention so the catching coach can be spread around everywhere else.  Tanner Swanson was greatly acclaimed here & when he went to NYY he greatly improved their catcher drafting, and development & put a lot of time into working with their MLB catchers. Tanner has done a great job elevating the NYY catching dept. What has Conger done? Twins' catcher drafting and development are nonexistent & he lets the catchers figure out on their own what they need to know. The Twins' catching dept. is in shambles. And Falvey doesn't care, he got the man he wants in there.

Pretty sure Hank Conger has almost nothing to do with the Twins drafting and development of catchers in the minor leagues. 

[Doctor Gast]

44 minutes ago, FargoFanMan said:

Pretty sure Hank Conger has almost nothing to do with the Twins drafting and development of catchers in the minor leagues. 

Bingo! But he should be in the middle of all that. If he's not the head of the catching department, who specifically is? With all these bodies floating around in analytical & coaching we need someone actively & specifically involved with all the aspects of catching. Are they lumped altogether with other areas? Whatever they are doing it's not working & things absolutely needs to be shaken up.

[jorgenswest]

I think this is the first time any of the three will put on a major league uniform. At least for a moment their journeys should be appreciated and celebrated. I believe the energy that they will bring with their first opportunity in the big leagues will be a benefit to the Twins. I appreciate @Seth Stohs effort in telling us a little about their journey.

[h2oface]

As long as Watkins is still at third, we are losing runs.