David Popkins: From Twins’ Scapegoat to Blue Jays’ Spark

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

As the Twins take on the Blue Jays this week, it feels like the perfect time to revisit the curious case of David Popkins. Less than a year ago, he was dismissed as the Twins’ hitting coach, packaged with assistant Rudy Hernandez as the lone fall guys for Minnesota’s late-season collapse. The front office made it clear they believed a change in the hitting staff and the team’s hitting philosophy was the fix. Today, Popkins is in Toronto, where he’s helping lead one of the best offenses in baseball. Meanwhile, the Twins’ bats have only gotten worse.

Popkins’ track record in Minnesota wasn’t nearly as disastrous as his firing might suggest. From 2022 to 2024, the Twins ranked 13th in runs scored, 10th in OPS, seventh in home runs. Yes, they struck out a lot, at 23.4%, which was the 11th-highest rate in baseball. A power-heavy offense, sure, but not an incompetent one. When Popkins was let go and Matt Borgschulte was brought in, the Twins announced a shift: less boom-or-bust, more “classic” hitting, with fewer strikeouts and more balls slapped the other way.

The result? Minnesota’s strikeout rate has dropped slightly, to 22.3%. But their actual production has cratered. They rank 24th in runs scored, 21st in OPS, and 14th in home runs. The power is down, the runs are down, and the offense is far less threatening than it was under Popkins. Clearly, the problems that doomed the 2024 Twins went beyond the hitting coach.

In Toronto, Popkins has wasted no time proving his value. The Blue Jays offense, which had been mediocre the past few seasons, has become one of the best in baseball. They now strike out less than anyone in the league, at 17.4%. They rank fourth in OPS, eighth in runs scored, and third in wRC+, a stat that adjusts for league and park effects. Under Popkins, the Blue Jays have transformed from middling to dangerous.

It’s not fair to suggest that Popkins is solely responsible for Toronto’s surge, just as it wasn’t fair for him to be the scapegoat in Minnesota. Coaching matters, but so does talent. The Blue Jays have stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, players who can elevate any philosophy, while the Twins bet on continuity with a roster that may simply not have enough offensive firepower. But the optics are undeniable: the team that fired Popkins got worse, and the team that hired him got better.

This all points back to an uncomfortable truth for the Twins. They tried to fix a structural problem with a cosmetic change. Instead of reshaping the roster or rethinking their broader approach, they fired a coach and sold it as the solution. Now, with another season of offensive futility, they are right back where they were: searching for answers that go much deeper than a hitting coach.

With a few days of staring across at him in the opposing dugout ahead, it’s hard not to wonder if the Twins let a good one get away—if they just never gave him the right roster to succeed.

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What do you think? Did Minnesota misfire in making Popkins the scapegoat, or was he simply never the right fit for this team? And with another year of offensive disappointment, should the front office be looking at the roster, the coaching staff, or both?

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[Fire Dan Gladden]

Without the emotional "fire everyone because they stink" comments, I have a question:

What are they systemic issues that make the Twins struggle in their ability to turn prospects into MLB  hitters? Please be specific. Is it approach? Are they not focusing on the correct areas that other teams do a better job with? Everyone hear screams for change, but there is very little discussion on specifically what that change should be. Don't say "they focus on analytics too much" as every team has a huge analytics department.

Another question that is probably tougher to answer: How do the Twins compare with their player development compare to other teams? Better, worse, or middle of the pack? Do we-as-fans have an unfair expectation when it comes to our own prospects? 

[Dave Borton]

Scapegoats. Herd animals at the bottom. Always several from whom to pick.

Similar to my time in the corporate world. The top seems to always prepare in advance to single out someone on whom to project blame.

Falvey will find someone this Fall. Rocco, get ready, though I shan't miss you.

 

[Doctor Gast]

I've always said that Popkins was a very good hitting coach for the Twins. In '24, Falvey came out & falsely claimed that his all-or-nothing hitting philosophy was the factor in the Twins '23 success. They were stressing this approach in '24. The Twins fell quickly on their face. I credit Baldelli & Popkins for quickly backstepping from their original approach & working extensively with the hitters to make the Twins competitive again. 

Falvey needed a scapegoat again for the inability to develop in-house players, seeing needs, initiating & closing trades to fill those needs, while acquiring worthless players like DeSclavani & Margot. Due to this, the rotation, catching INF & OF all wore down, resulting in injuries & poor performance & humiliating end to a promising season. Falvey couldn't be blamed; Popkins was an easy target, so he took the fall. 

Because the problem wasn't fixed (firing Falvey & Co., yet was extended & promoted) the result remained the same, a promising season down the tubes again while blaming the players. Popkins rightfully proved that he wasn't the problem.

 

[mikelink45]

I have no idea how to judge coaches - is it one coach, is it systemic to the entire coaching staff from beginning to end, is there one person in management who is the problem?  Why blame Rocco and not the bench coach, the quality control coach, of the person acquiring the talent?  I don't know where to begin. I remember our anguish over losing Rowson - now he is with the Yankees.  He has Judge, Stanton, Rice, Bellinger.  We have Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Clemens....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JADBP]

51 minutes ago, Dave Borton said:

Scapegoats. Herd animals at the bottom. Always several from whom to pick.

Similar to my time in the corporate world. The top seems to always prepare in advance to single out someone on whom to project blame.

Falvey will find someone this Fall. Rocco, get ready, though I shan't miss you.

 

Falvey just fired 40% of the team!  I’m sure he will find more to blame this fall, now that he has pushed the team into the dumpster and lit the match.  Players are smart—they see this too so few will sign here with the current administration (and maybe even ownership).  

I for one DO lay some blame on Popkins.  Hitting was his department.   He probably got strategy from Rocco/Falvey but if the strategy was that bad then he should have stood up and explained why.  If the tactics were wrong then it’s all on him.  Maybe he learned what not to do here and is applying it at TO?  

At the end of the day, his management of the hitting department was terrible   It wasn’t just the roster (all the Margot’s and Farmer’s notwithstanding).  We still had everyone crater, including normally great hitters like Correa and Buxton.  
 

Now I say double-triple shame on Rocco for rolling a Margot out there dozens of times without a hit   That’s not Popkins fault   That’s Rocco’s insanity!

 

But double-triple shame on Popkins for not helping Julien adjust to MLB pitchers who have found his weaknesses   Or Royce.  Or …fill in the blank of almost any member of the team!  
 

I know Rocco dictates strategy (and he’s lost in that department)   But Popkins was in charge of hitting and it stunk   

 

[farmerguychris]

When I see an article such as this - my thoughts go to the possible idea that the Twins found this young hitting coach who they feel had talent.  Then, the brought them on-board and wanted him to coach players in a certain style of hitting.  That 'Twins Style' conflicted with the style the coach had used in the past to get their attention in the first place.  Then when the Twins Style didn't work - the coach was let go.  Once in Toronto, the coach was allowed to return to his own style that worked - thus he is successful again?

[JADBP]

And…if Popkins was to blame, why did we nosedive again this year?  I think we were hitting better than last year ....at last until the dumpster fire was ignited! 

[jkcarew]

It might be easier to coach better hitters. I’m speculating.

[chpettit19]

54 minutes ago, JADBP said:

Falvey just fired 40% of the team!  I’m sure he will find more to blame this fall, now that he has pushed the team into the dumpster and lit the match.  Players are smart—they see this too so few will sign here with the current administration (and maybe even ownership).  

I for one DO lay some blame on Popkins.  Hitting was his department.   He probably got strategy from Rocco/Falvey but if the strategy was that bad then he should have stood up and explained why.  If the tactics were wrong then it’s all on him.  Maybe he learned what not to do here and is applying it at TO?  

At the end of the day, his management of the hitting department was terrible   It wasn’t just the roster (all the Margot’s and Farmer’s notwithstanding).  We still had everyone crater, including normally great hitters like Correa and Buxton.  
 

Now I say double-triple shame on Rocco for rolling a Margot out there dozens of times without a hit   That’s not Popkins fault   That’s Rocco’s insanity!

 

But double-triple shame on Popkins for not helping Julien adjust to MLB pitchers who have found his weaknesses   Or Royce.  Or …fill in the blank of almost any member of the team!  
 

I know Rocco dictates strategy (and he’s lost in that department)   But Popkins was in charge of hitting and it stunk   

 

Correa didn't crater. He had one of the best years of his career while healthy. Including September when he came back injured. Buxton didn't crater. He had the second highest OPS+ of his career while playing 100 games for only the 2nd time in his career. The offense fell apart without them because it was untalented. Talent has been the problem. Nobody can coach bad hitters to be good hitters. 

Larnach had the best season of his career, by far. Wallner was one of the best hitters in the game for half the season. Santana had the best season, by far, he's had since 2019. Like you should look at his stats for the last 6 years and see the outlier that last year was. It's unreal. Do the same thing for Larnach. And Buxton and Correa. Like actually go look at the numbers for the players for last year compared to their careers. 

This lineup has lacked talent for a long time. Popkins got career years out of many of them. Castro was his best in his 2 years with Popkins. They collapsed but putting it on Popkins is scapegoating probably the best thing this team had going for them in terms of coaching from an outside perspective. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Dear Pohlad family: I  hate to say this, but I  have come to the conclusion that the Twins need to be torn down and start over. What the Twins have been doing, has not been working for  many years. It all starts at the top. Thus, you owners are the problem. Your goal does not appear to be the same goal as we fans have, which is to win the World Series each and every year. Because if you had had that goal each year, then you have hired incompetent people to run this circus and/or to perform in this circus and/or have failed to provide the necessary funds to hire the correct circus acts.  Either way you are to blame. If I were you, I would be humiliated, at best and embarrassed, at least. But maybe your goal is not the same as mine. Bottom line, you paid the money to take the risk, to buy the team and you are entitled to run a half-assed organization if you wish. But it is becoming more evident to me that it is not emotionally healthy for me to spend so much of my limited time left here on this beautiful earth  watching this team on tv, going to spring training at Fort Myers every year and reading and posting these heart-felt, emotionally draining posts on Twins Daily.  70 years is a long time to have been a fan of this franchise, but as of today, I have had it. I must either change my goal of winning (which is hard for me to comprehend, much less to do), or change the team I have pulled for for 70  years. Most sincerely, Tarheel Twins Fan

[Sjoski]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

But it is becoming more evident to me that it is not emotionally healthy for me to spend so much of my limited time left here on this beautiful earth  watching this team

Could not agree more. 👍 

[nicksaviking]

Sorry, but Popkins had nothing to do with the strikeout issues. I'm not sure where that narrative came from. In 2023 the Twins led the universe in strikeout percentage, but they improved all the way to the 10th best in 2024. And no wonder, Joey Gallo and Michael Taylor were gone and Edouard Julien was in AAA half the year.

So obviously the strikeouts had little to do with the coaching and almost entirely to do with removing the biggest offenders from the roster. I approve the intent but loathe the results.

But again, nothing to do with Popkins and if anyone thought so, it's because no one could watch the Twins on TV in 2024.

[JDubs]

The only thing this demonstrates is that the role of big league hitting coach has incredibly limited impact on how a team performs one way or the other

[Rod Carews Birthday]

If the talent isn't there, no amount of coaching will solve the problem.  If the talent is there, it's a lot harder to screw it up.  The Twins have had SOME good players/hitters, but never really a team of them for a few years.  Injuries also didn't help.  We definitely need some serious reinforcements in the hitting department or the numbers will continue to circle the drain. 

[The Great Hambino]

13 hours ago, JADBP said:

And…if Popkins was to blame, why did we nosedive again this year?  I think we were hitting better than last year ....at last until the dumpster fire was ignited! 

I'm not sure by what measure they're hitting better than last year.  They're slashing .237/.310/.394/.704 this year vs .246/.315/.411/.726 last year - worse across the board.  They're striking out slightly more this year (though not nearly as much as in 2023, which also happened to be their best offensive season since the Bomba Squad). Their runs per game has certainly taken a nosedive from 4.58 to 4.13 [4.18 at the deadline, so you can't say it was better relative to last year before then].

And since Popkins is having immediate success somewhere else, then he probably wasn't - or shouldn't have been - the one to blame

[old nurse]

16 hours ago, JADBP said:

Falvey just fired 40% of the team!  I’m sure he will find more to blame this fall, now that he has pushed the team into the dumpster and lit the match.  Players are smart—they see this too so few will sign here with the current administration (and maybe even ownership).  

I for one DO lay some blame on Popkins.  Hitting was his department.   He probably got strategy from Rocco/Falvey but if the strategy was that bad then he should have stood up and explained why.  If the tactics were wrong then it’s all on him.  Maybe he learned what not to do here and is applying it at TO?  

At the end of the day, his management of the hitting department was terrible   It wasn’t just the roster (all the Margot’s and Farmer’s notwithstanding).  We still had everyone crater, including normally great hitters like Correa and Buxton.  
 

Now I say double-triple shame on Rocco for rolling a Margot out there dozens of times without a hit   That’s not Popkins fault   That’s Rocco’s insanity!

 

But double-triple shame on Popkins for not helping Julien adjust to MLB pitchers who have found his weaknesses   Or Royce.  Or …fill in the blank of almost any member of the team!  
 

I know Rocco dictates strategy (and he’s lost in that department)   But Popkins was in charge of hitting and it stunk   

 

It is always the coach’s fault when the player can’t leave?

[Larry Janisewski]

On 8/25/2025 at 1:49 PM, JADBP said:

Falvey just fired 40% of the team!  I’m sure he will find more to blame this fall, now that he has pushed the team into the dumpster and lit the match.  Players are smart—they see this too so few will sign here with the current administration (and maybe even ownership).  

I for one DO lay some blame on Popkins.  Hitting was his department.   He probably got strategy from Rocco/Falvey but if the strategy was that bad then he should have stood up and explained why.  If the tactics were wrong then it’s all on him.  Maybe he learned what not to do here and is applying it at TO?  

At the end of the day, his management of the hitting department was terrible   It wasn’t just the roster (all the Margot’s and Farmer’s notwithstanding).  We still had everyone crater, including normally great hitters like Correa and Buxton.  
 

Now I say double-triple shame on Rocco for rolling a Margot out there dozens of times without a hit   That’s not Popkins fault   That’s Rocco’s insanity!

 

But double-triple shame on Popkins for not helping Julien adjust to MLB pitchers who have found his weaknesses   Or Royce.  Or …fill in the blank of almost any member of the team!  
 

I know Rocco dictates strategy (and he’s lost in that department)   But Popkins was in charge of hitting and it stunk   

 

And unfortunately it still stinks this season.