BREAKING: Twins to Hire Derek Shelton as Manager for 2026

[S Bart]

10 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

Remember two years ago when the Blue Jays fans wanted their manager fired for removing Jose Berrios from a playoff start against the Twins. Suddenly that same manager has that same team one win from a Worl Series. 

The Twins had a rough 2024 season offensively and fans wanted the hitting coach gone. The GM did fire that hitting coach. Like, 5 days later, the Blue Jays hired that hitting coach, and he's got the best offense in baseball and is one win from the World Series title. 

Joe Torre had been hired and fired as a big-league manager 3 times before the Yankees called. He was perfect for that group at that time. 

Derek Shelton has a ton of baseball experience. He is a baseball lifer and knows the game. Ultimately, like Baldelli, it comes down to the players on the roster and the ownership... 

Coaching/mentoring the young players that the Twins have on the roster can make a difference. There are many players who are in this category of being decent.....but need strong influence. The big challenge is team direction...and you are correct....Falvey and the Pohlads just don't seem to possess it. 

[UK Twin]

I'm willing to give him a chance but can't help but feel underwhelmed. The main thing for me is how he handles the young talent, both currently on the roster and those on the verge of being ready for the big leagues. If we trade any of Lopez, Ryan or Jeffers, it's going to be a very inexperienced roster apart from Buxton and the relievers so he (and the hitting coach) need to get more out of Lewis, Lee, Julien, Wallner etc. 

[jctwins]

9 hours ago, ashbury said:

If this is true, wouldn't Shelton himself have a sense of it happening?  Why in the world would he sign on for that?

Because it's a perfect fit for a guy that wouldn't get a job anywhere else and once you get a taste, you don't want to leave the buffet of the big leagues.

[jctwins]

1 hour ago, dxpavelka said:

Pony up and buy the team.

I would if I could brother.

[nicksaviking]

This is underwhelming, and to me and smells like a place holder until/if the Pohlad's ever get their crap together.

But I'm a bit confused about the anger about the manager doing what Falvey wants him to do. I'm curious about which profession someone intentionally hires someone to be their antagonist, contradict them at will and plots to usurp their power?

I have low expectations, but if Shelton runs the team the way Falvey wants but does it in a way that develops young hitters, something Baldelli wasn't able to do, this team will improve.

His track record with the Pirates suggests that's not his forte, but these 'Yes-man' complaints sound like hollow venting to me. We don't know enough any of these guys, but if there's one Ron Swanson in the group, Shelton looks like the most likely.

[Jeff K]

"It's the same old story, same old song and dance, my friend"  Aerosmith, Get your wings.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".  The Who

I'm feeling grumpy with this hire.  I would be thrilled to be wrong...but until Falvey is gone we will experience Groundhogs day.

[sweetmusicviola16]

44 minutes ago, S Bart said:

Coaching/mentoring the young players that the Twins have on the roster can make a difference. There are many players who are in this category of being decent.....but need strong influence. The big challenge is team direction...and you are correct....Falvey and the Pohlads just don't seem to possess it. 

This is important to note. We are relying heavily on the progression of young players on the roster and of prospects still in the minors. So who did we hire? A guy who under his watch as manager of the Pirates saw these type of players develop very poorly. This shouldn't have been ignored. I don't hold Shelton's record in Pittsburgh against him, many others have failed there as well. But prospects not developing upon being called up is a very concerning sign.

[Riverbrian]

8 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I have low expectations, but if Shelton runs the team the way Falvey wants but does it in a way that develops young hitters, something Baldelli wasn't able to do, this team will improve.

I agree with this 100%. 

The following research doesn't carry a lot of value due to the absence of context such as injuries, talent level and other factors. However... down and dirty, pulled quickly, here are some Pirate utilization numbers.  

2025 Ages of the Top 5 AB's:

30, 38, 26, 30 and 37. 

He was fired in May so this is would be more reflective of Don Kelly utilization. 

2024 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

29, 25, 37, 26 and 29

2023 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

28, 24, 26, 36 and 30

2022 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

27. 25, 26, 30 and 23.  

2021 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

26, 27, 29, 31 and 24. 

The best years by record during this Shelton stretch was 2024 and 2023... If that matters since they were also rans every year. 

Again... the research doesn't mean much but it appears that Shelton was handling younger talent. I take that as a positive. 

All in All... My opinion... the ages reflected by Pirates utilization could be a reason why their re-whatever is taking forever. 

 

[Tyler Omoth]

It feels like a missed opportunity to me. Regardless of the manager, it doesn't look good for the next couple of years so why not get a fun, trendy name like Nelson Cruz or Torrii Hunter to create some fan interest?

[Omardog]

Any manager who agrees to work for current ownership has no aspiration to win the World Series.   This hiring confirms Pohlad's intention to go completely scorched earth in 2026, hope for a salary cap or something like it as a result of next winter's negotiations for a new Basic Agreement, and enjoy the resulting uptick in the franchise's valuation and squeeze the last possible dollar out of a sale.  Joe Pohlad is a silver spoon grifter and we will suffer for it.

[sstolen]

In the end, players will have to play. W'out enough players, this probably doesnt matter. And...we just dont know.

We THINK we know. We dont.

Most of the "candidates" were a bit "meh"...and not everyone would want this job.

[shortround81]

This is not helpful (but when am I ever?), but my one positive about Shelton was when he was managing the Pirates and would troll Rocco about being named one of MLB's most handsome managers

[Bamatwin]

Yawn

[AKTwinsFan]

Was hoping for Servais. His time in Seattle was their best pitching years. But I guess they just wanted more of the same instead of something new! 

[Woof Bronzer]

51 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

. I'm curious about which profession someone intentionally hires someone to be their antagonist, contradict them at will and plots to usurp their power?

Certainly you know that this is an argument zero people are making.  

What a lot of fans would like to see is a manager who can bring his own experience and ideas to the table, and who won't be afraid to push back if Falvey gives a direction he really doesn't think is wise ("sorry, I don't think we should pinch hit in the 2nd inning to maintain platoon advantage"), or who won't be afraid to tell Falvey "sorry, I know you wanted me to pull Mr Starter after 5 but he's going really good today and it's a game we need to win so I'm leaving him in."  The Twins Way is broken; the organization is in desperate need of new and different ideas.  Hiring a guy that just brings more of the same is disappointing to many fans.  

Read Team of Rivals about Lincoln's cabinet to understand the value of differing opinions and ideas in leadership teams.  

[Steve Lein]

I don't dislike the Derek Shelton hire. It's not really inspiring or all that exciting, but who exactly do we all think the Twins were going to be able to get given their very public ownership, front office, roster, and payroll preferences/issues?

Did you really think Falvey was going to hire someone with a different philosophy or new-age opinions that didn't fit with his "Twins quality manual" of SOP's?

This organization has been run like robot AI on and off the field ever since Falvey came here. There was never going to be a John Connor coming to upset that present or future reality, IMO. Haha.

[killertwinfan]

I would be stunned if they actually hired a decent candidate with experience.  At least they got some experience.  I doubt he will be around long. 

[ashbury]

34 minutes ago, shortround81 said:

This is not helpful (but when am I ever?), but my one positive about Shelton was when he was managing the Pirates and would troll Rocco about being named one of MLB's most handsome managers

And mere days ago we thought this to be mere satire:

Word of advice: don't do a Google Image Search on "Derek Shelton Hot" with SafeSearch off.

[dxpavelka]

2 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It displays the three most recent notes. If notes haven't been written about the team because they're, for example, terrible and falling out of contention while nothing significant is happening, the third most-recent note might stay up there for awhile.

or someone is lazy

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

I won't pretend to know what the problem is... but there is a problem. 

Maybe they should... restaff... overhaul the minor league system... if it's complicit. 

I'd like the front office to look in the mirror first. But... there is a problem that needs to be rooted out. 

If it were me... I'd be completely focused on improving development as quickly as possible. 

I would attack the development problem like the Ford Motor Company built Willow Run from the ground up in an incredibly short period time to produce B-24 Bombers needed yesterday for WWII. 

Will Derek help or get in the way. We will find out. 

 

Just my opinion but from early on good hitters play more so the focus is on learning to hit, working on hitting. Defense comes second. Once a professional, hitting continues to get you playing time, defense is second. Once you get to mlb, hitting gets you paid. Just ask Royce Lewis.  Now when this outfit took over, the focus was 3 outcome baseball. That type of hitter, being athletic was secondary. Fielding is more athletic.  The high draft picks were not athletic, the later round draft picks who were athletic did not get hits. To turn that around cannot be done as easily as retooling the Ford plant. It is more like moving a barge with a john boat with a 9 horse motor rather than a tugboat.  It will get done, but it will take time. 

[shortround81]

14 minutes ago, ashbury said:

And mere days ago we thought this to be mere satire:

Word of advice: don't do a Google Image Search on "Derek Shelton Hot" with SafeSearch off.

Thank you for jumping on that grenade for us, Ash!

[dxpavelka]

2 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

The grievance is strong with you!  Instead of whining about TD why don't you pony up and buy it? YOUR likes and dislikes don't really matter.  Just an observation.  

Not really whining about TD.  Just pointing out how they, in their field, are really not that much different than Twins management and FO.

[dxpavelka]

2 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Yeah that's the point.  Since Falvey's candidate pool was literally every human on earth, the odds that the "best candidate" would be someone Falvey already knows very well must have been like one in a billion!  

 and since the likes of you insist that nobody would take the job sounds like a good hire

[Craig Arko]

I don’t really think it makes much difference.

[Rigby]

3 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I mean.....didn't a bunch of us try and tell some of you that Falvey would just hire another guy exactly like Rocco?

If you were expecting something else....you let your Rocco hate blind you to the more systemic problems.

Ahh, but did he? Perhaps Jeff Landry opted to cut his teeth on making the selection...

[dxpavelka]

1 hour ago, jctwins said:

I would if I could brother.

And you'd likely do no better than the current folks

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I agree with this 100%. 

The following research doesn't carry a lot of value due to the absence of context such as injuries, talent level and other factors. However... down and dirty, pulled quickly, here are some Pirate utilization numbers.  

2025 Ages of the Top 5 AB's:

30, 38, 26, 30 and 37. 

He was fired in May so this is would be more reflective of Don Kelly utilization. 

2024 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

29, 25, 37, 26 and 29

2023 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

28, 24, 26, 36 and 30

2022 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

27. 25, 26, 30 and 23.  

2021 Ages of the Top 5 AB's

26, 27, 29, 31 and 24. 

The best years by record during this Shelton stretch was 2024 and 2023... If that matters since they were also rans every year. 

Again... the research doesn't mean much but it appears that Shelton was handling younger talent. I take that as a positive. 

All in All... My opinion... the ages reflected by Pirates utilization could be a reason why their re-whatever is taking forever. 

 

The track record with those young players stinks. But the willingness to use them most is encouraging.

Hopefully they don't even give him a choice this year. No need for Ty France types to be on the Twins next year.

Low level of hope and expectations here, but that was going to be the case with any of the hires.

[nicksaviking]

37 minutes ago, AKTwinsFan said:

Was hoping for Servais. His time in Seattle was their best pitching years. But I guess they just wanted more of the same instead of something new! 

And terrible hitting years. Maybe the worst in the history of the organization. Good starting pitching and bad hitting; that already described the Twins until the starters went down last season.

[Woof Bronzer]

3 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

 and since the likes of you insist that nobody would take the job sounds like a good hire

You should read my posts before telling me what I insist.  I've stated on many occasions, including this very comment section, that there are 30 MLB manager jobs on earth and many, many people would take it in a heartbeat.  

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

And how are these things connected, exactly?

Lack of attention to detail?