The Twins Goal of Improved Player Development Still Exists with Hire of Derek Shelton

[Nate Palmer]

With the selection of Derek Shelton as the Minnesota Twins next manager, the front office and ownership forgot one of their own publicly stated goals for the next manager of the Minnesota Twins. This manager was supposed to be a hire who would help address the struggles that have existed in player development. 

Derek Falvey made that direction known at the press conference following Rocco Baldelli's official firing, specifically when addressing questions about payroll. Falvey said that, because the Twins are a mid-market team, a new manager needs to be “a partner in growth and development.” The issue now that we know Shelton is the Twins' choice is that he didn’t seem to do particularly well in his previous stop in Pittsburgh. Yes, more recently, Paul Skenes and O’Neil Cruz have thrived, but that doesn’t seem to be to the credit of anyone other than their otherworldly natural gifts. 

Shelton had the opportunity to manage and introduce a few top-100 prospects to the big leagues, but the results the Pirates would have liked were not achieved. Henry Davis might headline that group as a catcher who has played in 186 MLB games over the past three seasons. In 2023 and 2024, when he would have played fully under Shelton, Davis posted a negative WAR and hit his major league best OPS at a mere .653 in 2023. Davis was touted as a top college bat in the 2021 class, but has not reached that standard to this point. 

Nick Gonzales cracked the top 20 on the MLB.com prospect list and has also experienced underwhelming offensive production. His bat was heavily believed in after a strong final year at New Mexico State, and he grabbed the honor of being Cape Cod League MVP in 2019, the premier wood bat league for college players. 2024 was maybe an acceptable production year at age 25 with a .709 OPS and 97 OPS+, but acceptable is quite the dirty word for a one-time top 20 prospect. 

Endy Rodriguez, Nick Yorke, and Liver Peguero are other players who have yet to show the product of the potential ascribed to top-100 prospects. Joey Bart, acquired from the Giants, initially posted greatly improved production in 2024, posting a 2.2 bWAR and an OPS+ of 121. 2025 started well for Bart, but even before the catcher suffered a concussion, his production began to dip. As great as Cruz’s skills are, his production has been up and down, and there have been questions about his effort. To the credit of Shelton, Cruz’s two best seasons (2022 and 2024) were with Shelton at the helm. 

Maybe this is something Shelton has reflected on and realizes he didn’t do as well as he did during his tenure as manager. Shelton did point to some unnamed areas of improvement he has identified in quotes in a recent Bob Nightengale article. Even if Shelton recognizes it as a weakness and wants to improve it, the reality is that there is currently no track record of his meeting this goal well. That means the Twins will need to turn to the rest of the coaching staff to address this glaring player development issue. 

One could wonder if the approach to coaching outlined by LaTroy Hawkins might not be part of an approach that will be needed under Shelton to see an unproven Twins roster succeed. In a recent interview with Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Hawkins outlined how much of what many players need in their development isn’t related to the mechanics of baseball. Hawkins said, “We forget there’s a human element to it, the mental part of the game. The numbers don’t tell if you have an argument with your wife or your significant other on the way to the ballpark. They don’t care if your kid is in the hospital.”

It would seem strange that Baldelli would have struggled with that side of managing and coaching since he is considered a players' manager, but maybe something along these lines was missing. While there is currently no chatter about Hawkins being added to the staff, it may be that approach that is missing from a player development perspective in the Twins dugout. 

Whether it is the approach of making sure a player's mind is right that is needed more, or something else, Falvey needs to find that right mix. The Shelton hire, on its own, doesn’t seem to address the original goal of improved player development, so it will be interesting as the offseason continues to see what the Twins front office does to address that issue. 

 

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[smartfred]

I find it interesting the Twins parted ways with David Popkins. To me it appears they needed a fall guy for the 2024 season and he was it. He moved to the Blue Jays and turned around a small-er budget offense that produced the most hits in the MLB and helped unheard of players hit well beyond what was expected (Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and even George Springer). The players give him credit and the changes can be measured by the increase in bat speed from a handful of players on statcast. To me it appears as an organization the team doesn’t have a culture of buy-in from players to change their approach and it’s sad to see players like Julian, Miranda, Lee, Waller, Larnach, Kirloff and others not hit their ceiling. There’s something going on behind the development scene that needs an investigative reporter to break some news and the Twins need development to win since they obviously can’t afford to pay for it. 

[dxpavelka]

So the guys who have done well have done so because they are gifted players and those who have not have been because of Shelton's shortcomings?  

[Doctor Gast]

Development isn't throwing raw players into the MLB, playing full-time, for the whole season & expect them to thrive. They need to be instructed, managed properly (meaning placed in their best position, & not overextend phyically) in other words, knowing what their gift is at & then encourage them to maximize that gift.

PIT did a great job in developing Endy, but he got seriously hurt, Bart hardly played for SF, so when he got a chance & maybe different instruction at PIT in '24, he blossomed. He went from a reject to starting catcher, so in '25 from hardly playing to playing full-time, every day catcher; IMO. is a big jump for a player to make in one year, is it no wonder he wears down. IMO, Henry could just be a dudd. A hitting catcher that can't hit.

I don't know how much Shelton is allowed to manage or how much free rein he has to select the coaches to instruct our players even if he has good ideas. I'm willing to give him a chance.

[Paul D]

I find it hard to believe that a young manager, like Rocco, with 3 young children at home would not have understanding that players are also dealing with a similar situation in trying t balance family life with baseball.  I also can't believe that a player who had a bright future in the game until a debilitating injury robbed him of his future as a player would not know about handling players who seem to miss more than their share of games because of injuries.

[Blyleven2011]

What falvey says and what falvey does are two diffent things ....

When you going to stop believing what he says  ...

Yes we need to have development at the major league level  , I have stated this many many times , it's a new level for a AAA player to learn in the hardest level  ( the major leagues ), throwing players to the wolves isn't going to cut it , if the manager isn't responsible with the talent ( as some say hes not ) then he's got to delegate the responsibility to the right coaches to work with that players mental and physical approach of the game ...

We are failing our prospects at developing them to play a major league caliber game , I've stated many times that you take a talented player and hone his skills to be a better player , it doesn't stop at the major leagues , once he is established than  you can have him let go of his mother's apron string ..

We need better coaching with shelton in charge ,, we need to clear the baldelli coaches and get some really top professional coaches Mr falvey  ...

We need shelton to have his own professional  coaches , not falveys top professionals at every coaching positions ( Falvey's quote not mine ) to delegate to , if we keep a coach like Watkins there is no reason to be optimistic that anything really is going to change  ...

It's not whether you win or lose , it's how you play the game , help these prospects out at this level and let's play some exciting baseball  , win or lose ...

Solid defense  , offense and fundamentals  will go along way as long as there are no mental errors ( that is what we continued to see with baldelli in charge ) ...

Remember what falvey says and what falvey does are 2 different things  

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, smartfred said:

I find it interesting the Twins parted ways with David Popkins. To me it appears they needed a fall guy for the 2024 season and he was it. He moved to the Blue Jays and turned around a small-er budget offense that produced the most hits in the MLB and helped unheard of players hit well beyond what was expected (Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and even George Springer). The players give him credit and the changes can be measured by the increase in bat speed from a handful of players on statcast. To me it appears as an organization the team doesn’t have a culture of buy-in from players to change their approach and it’s sad to see players like Julian, Miranda, Lee, Waller, Larnach, Kirloff and others not hit their ceiling. There’s something going on behind the development scene that needs an investigative reporter to break some news and the Twins need development to win since they obviously can’t afford to pay for it. 

I think Toronto had the 5th highest payroll in MLB this year.

[smartfred]

16 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I think Toronto had the 5th highest payroll in MLB this year.

You are correct and I should have been more clear. I was referring to their starting positional lineup payroll.

Schneider - $780k Guerrero Jr. - $28.5M Bichette - $17.5M Kirk - $4.6M Varsho - $8.2M Clement - $2M Barger - $710k IKF - $1.1M Gimenez - $10.6M 

[jorgenswest]

43 minutes ago, smartfred said:

You are correct and I should have been more clear. I was referring to their starting positional lineup payroll.

Schneider - $780k Guerrero Jr. - $28.5M Bichette - $17.5M Kirk - $4.6M Varsho - $8.2M Clement - $2M Barger - $710k IKF - $1.1M Gimenez - $10.6M 

What happened to Springer?

[DJL44]

The Twins somehow developed Ty France into the American League gold glove winner at first base.

[smartfred]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

What happened to Springer?

Springer changed his approach to increase his bat speed especially earlier in counts. He increased his attack angle to hit more balls in the air so he's hitting for more power and a better launch angle. It's hard to believe with such an outstanding career that he's never hit balls harder than he has until this season (+90 mph exit velo) and he's 35. He swings at better pitches in the zone which sounds pretty basic but it's been a mentality passed around the Toronto lineup and you can see it not just in him but all around. 

It just makes me wonder if Popkins was leading the. charge in Toronto, what prevented him from doing this in MN? Was it stubborn players or was it a front office not rallying behind him? 

[stringer bell]

Something didn't click for players that came to the Twins during Baldelli's tenure. Getting pinch-hit for, no attention to small details or maybe the players just weren't that good. Shelton will get his chance with different players and maybe he will have the right blend of confidence and protection for the majority to thrive and perhaps the players are better. 

The mix in the clubhouse in 2024 and 2025 didn't work and the remix after the trade deadline had no chance. Hopefully we see the top prospects and they thrive in 2026.

[rv78]

My guess is, with Falvey in control, Popkins was told how to do his job by Falvey. It didn't work and for that reason he was the fall guy just like Rocco was this year. You have to keep reminding yourself that Falvey truely believes he doesn't do anything wrong. Every decision he makes is right. If anything he tries does not work it is not his fault. The person he puts in charge for implementing that decision is the failure. The process is never wrong. It's the messenger. I also believe that in Toronto, Popkins had free rein to do his job and he obviously excelled at it. Again, stop and think, why would he have so much more success in Toronto than in Minnesota? Is it the talent? According to Falvey he drafts the best, trades for the best, and his process is the best. He's not wrong. Or is it really Falvey, drafting NOT the best, trading for NOT the best and getting players that just really aren't that good, and above all,... the process is wrong. It probably doesn't matter who the hitting coach is.

[jorgenswest]

9 hours ago, smartfred said:

Springer changed his approach to increase his bat speed especially earlier in counts. He increased his attack angle to hit more balls in the air so he's hitting for more power and a better launch angle. It's hard to believe with such an outstanding career that he's never hit balls harder than he has until this season (+90 mph exit velo) and he's 35. He swings at better pitches in the zone which sounds pretty basic but it's been a mentality passed around the Toronto lineup and you can see it not just in him but all around. 

It just makes me wonder if Popkins was leading the. charge in Toronto, what prevented him from doing this in MN? Was it stubborn players or was it a front office not rallying behind him? 

Shouldn’t he have been in your payroll list?

[Mahoning]

Doesn't -- or shouldn't -- player development mostly take place in the minor leagues? If players are being promoted to the majors without being ready, that's not the manager's fault.

[smartfred]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

Shouldn’t he have been in your payroll list?

Mother father you’re right. Not sure how I missed that. 

[DocBauer]

Popkins and his staff were fall guys. The K's went down, but so did everything else, and he got the blame. By his own admission, part of the reason he's had better coaching success in Toronto was the hiring of a new assistant who simply communicates the overall plan and details that he, Popkins, sees and wants to implement.

I wish I had an answer regarding development of bats, or lack there of. Was Julien simply not as good as his numbers made him look? Was there that much of a flaw in his approach? Miranda has been hurt. But he's also always been susceptible to poor/weak contact because he just can't help but swing and try to hit everything. 

But on the other hand, until approximately August 1st if 2024... and until about July 1st of 2025...Lewis looked like a STUD and it was all about keeping him on the field. Then he's awful for about a full year. So is he a success or failure?

Wallner looked like a success his first couple of seasons with OPS WELL above league average. Even with his poor 2025, he still ended up above league average in OPS. His future undetermined?

While Larnach hasn't been great, he's turned out to be a league average performer for a 1st round pick selected 20th. He's probably achieved about 75% of potential outcome. In reality, that's a successful player overall.

Arraez was a success wasn't he?

Jeffers has been one of the better OPS catchers in all of MLB. 

I'm not saying there AREN'T concerns. I think part of the problem is systematic. We had the Bomba Squad in 2019 and 2020 and then there was a series of mixed result seasons where the offense was inconsistent, but also had years where they ranked quite high in runs scored.

I also think there was a talent gap for a couple of years where the FO and talent on hand was geared to an approach that wasn't working any longer. And there was suddenly a gap in defense, speed, and athleticism on the team.

It's not a rosy picture. But I don't know that development has been completely bleak either. Boy would things look better/different with a healthy Lewis and Buxton's knee getting "fixed" earlier.

So far, Keaschall looks really good. And young hitters like Rodriguez, Jenkins, Gonzalez, and Culpepper are really close to debuting. And there's no question they hold keys to unlocking a quality, productive, and more consistent offense.

I don't believe the manager is responsible for player development other than providing a quality atmosphere of support. I DO BELIEVE his STAFF is important part of player development however. Coaching and instruction simply doesn't stop when a young player reaches MLB. There remains a learning/adapting curve once you reach that level, just as there is every single step up the MILB ladder. And it's my hope Shelton is given control to assemble a staff of teachers/coaches that he believes in for that purpose.

On a larger scale, the FO should ALWAYS spend a TON of time reviewing the entire systematic approach being used for instruction and being honest with themselves if they see an opportunity for change.  

[farmerguychris]

The development mandate was only a talking point to appease the fans.  The manager doesn't develop players - thats the role of the coaches in the minors, and the position coaches in the majors.  Hopefully the development mandate portion of improving this team takes place with the next set of hires as the rest of coaching staff is assembled.