Twins Hope Derek Shelton’s Second Chance Follows a Terry Francona Blueprint

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Twins Daily

The Minnesota Twins believe Derek Shelton is ready for his second act as a big-league manager. After six challenging seasons leading the Pittsburgh Pirates, he now takes the reins in Minnesota with lessons learned, perspective gained, and a model to follow. One of the best modern examples of that kind of professional rebirth is Terry Francona.

Before he became a two-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox, Francona failed in Philadelphia. Over four seasons with the Phillies, he posted a 285-363 record with a .440 winning percentage and never won more than 77 games. The franchise was rebuilding, the roster was limited, and Francona was a young manager still learning how to navigate the daily grind of the major leagues. That failure, though, became foundational. 

Without the hard lessons in Philadelphia, Francona might never have become the calm, steady leader who helped break Boston’s 86-year curse. He won World Series titles in two of his first four seasons on the Red Sox bench. He went on to Cleveland and helped them win their first AL pennant since the late 1990s. Throughout his career, he has become one of the most respected managers of the modern era. 

Shelton hopes to travel a similar path. After his dismissal in Pittsburgh, he spent his first summer at home since his playing days reflecting on what went wrong and how he could approach things differently if given another chance. That process caught the attention of Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, who has long admired Francona’s willingness to own his early missteps.

“People that spend time reflecting on what they would do differently, I think give themselves a much better chance to learn from that experience,” Falvey said. “He gave very specific examples of things he would have done and would have handled differently, and I think that was a real strength of his in the process.”

Falvey’s connection to Francona goes back to their years together in Cleveland. He saw firsthand how Francona’s lessons from Philadelphia shaped his leadership style with the Guardians. Francona often credited that difficult first job for giving him the humility and adaptability that defined his later success. It is no surprise that Falvey saw something similar in Shelton’s reflections.

 

 

 

Shelton has already acknowledged that managing a big-league club is an entirely different challenge from any previous baseball role. “When I left here, I thought I was really prepared to manage because I’d been given a lot of responsibility,” Shelton said. “But you’re never ready until you sit in the chair. You’re never ready until different things come your way. I think those experiences are what help build you moving forward.”

That mindset aligns perfectly with how Francona rebuilt his own career. He embraced his mistakes, surrounded himself with trusted voices, and developed a better understanding of how to manage both players and expectations. Shelton, too, will need to show growth in how he connects with his roster, handles bullpen decisions, and navigates the ups and downs of a long season.

The Twins are betting that the man who once helped shape their hitters and culture as a bench coach can now lead a clubhouse that has failed to live up to expectations in recent seasons. It will not be easy, but history shows that baseball often rewards those who learn from failure.

Francona’s career proves that the first opportunity does not define a manager. Derek Shelton’s second chance in Minnesota will be his opportunity to prove that the lessons from Pittsburgh can pave the way for long-term success.

What do you think? Can Shelton follow Francona’s path and turn lessons from his first job into lasting success with the Twins? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Cris E]

Derek Shelton <> Terry Francona

EDIT: To clarify, I am not saying they are in any way interchangeable. Rather that these are not at all alike. This situation has a few differences from Franona's second gig with the 2004 Boston Red Sox roster, for example.  

[Doctor Gast]

The consequence of failure is getting let go. Failure produces humility & meekness, knowing you're not invincible & know it all. Meekness is knowing that you don't know it all, this is the point where you can start learning. If there are no consequences for failure, you continue to think you are invincible & think you know it all. Blocking the way to really learn & grow, that there might be a better way than his own. 

The best thing for Falvey is to learn meekness by suffering the consequences of his mistakes by being fired.

[nicksaviking]

I've got no problem with Shelton, of the four reported candidates, he probably would have been my choice too. He was probably more qualified than Rocco Baldelli back in 2019 when Baldelli was hired in the first place.

But I don't know that trying to find historical comps to justify the hiring is helping. Everyone is upset with this team. Ownership, front office, players. I'm not sure these comparisons are going to win anyone over. Particularly because the biggest X factor in this comp was omitted; Shelton didn't go to the big pocket 2004 Red Sox, he went to the 2026 Twins. I'm guessing if Terry Francona instead was hired by the 2004 Royals, he'd have been out of baseball and long forgotten by now.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Perhaps if Falvey was given the opportunity to go home for a few months and learn what he needs to do differently would also be beneficial for him. I'm game to give it a try. Perhaps he could learn that he's not the smartest man in the room every time. 

[Blyleven2011]

50 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

The consequence of failure is getting let go. Failure produces humility & meekness, knowing you're not invincible & know it all. Meekness is knowing that you don't know it all, this is the point where you can start learning. If there are no consequences for failure, you continue to think you are invincible & think you know it all. Blocking the way to really learn & grow, that there might be a better way than his own. 

The best thing for Falvey is to learn meekness by suffering the consequences of his mistakes by being fired.

Amen doc ....

Id still rather have francona  , Rocco should have been fired last year and falvey could of gone after Terry,  price would have been higher than a Sheldon salary , but the rewards would have been better  ...

Falvey is always a day late and a dollar short , don't have lunch with him because he will have you paying the check  ...

[sweetmusicviola16]

17 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Amen doc ....

Id still rather have francona  , Rocco should have been fired last year and falvey could of gone after Terry,  price would have been higher than a Sheldon salary , but the rewards would have been better  ...

Falvey is always a day late and a dollar short , don't have lunch with him because he will have you paying the check  ...

you forgot to mention that Falvey will leave you with paying a 25% tip. Based on Derek's appearance now a days, he can put it away too.

[Parfigliano]

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

The consequence of failure is getting let go. Failure produces humility & meekness, knowing you're not invincible & know it all. Meekness is knowing that you don't know it all, this is the point where you can start learning. If there are no consequences for failure, you continue to think you are invincible & think you know it all. Blocking the way to really learn & grow, that there might be a better way than his own. 

The best thing for Falvey is to learn meekness by suffering the consequences of his mistakes by being fired.

Dovetails nicely with being the best thing for the TC franchise.

[Nashvilletwin]

I know I’m a Debby Downer, but I’ll take the under.

[jorgenswest]

Francona had Schilling, Rolen for all 4 years and Abreu for 3 in Philadelphia. The Phillies payroll was not near the bottom of baseball in that time.

Bill Simmons wrote early in his Red Sox career

Quote

Sure, it doesn't help that the Sox have been saddled with another shaky manager. I'm not sure how this keeps happening. Just in my lifetime alone, we've had a staggering collection of drunks, butt-kissers, dimwits, village idiots, senior citizens, hotheads and lunatics. This year we have Terry Francona, who looks like Moby and seems like a nice enough guy. They always seem like nice guys. Maybe that's how they get the job. Anyway, thanks to Francona's lack of aggression -- not moving runners over, sticking with starters too long, catering to his stars -- the team's passive play is beginning to reflect his personality. And I'm not even sure he's awake half the time.

Clearly learning happened for Francona and he grew into a very good manager when he wasn’t one in Philadelphia. We can only hope that Shelton has learned and grown from his failures in Pittsburgh. It is possible. Francona is an example.

[DMcQ]

8 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I've got no problem with Shelton, of the four reported candidates, he probably would have been my choice too. He was probably more qualified than Rocco Baldelli back in 2019 when Baldelli was hired in the first place.

But I don't know that trying to find historical comps to justify the hiring is helping. Everyone is upset with this team. Ownership, front office, players. I'm not sure these comparisons are going to win anyone over. Particularly because the biggest X factor in this comp was omitted; Shelton didn't go to the big pocket 2004 Red Sox, he went to the 2026 Twins. I'm guessing if Terry Francona instead was hired by the 2004 Royals, he'd have been out of baseball and long forgotten by now.

Agree totally, big difference in the pocket book between the Red Sox and our current MN Twins. We all are upset with the Ownership and the leadership, I don’t blame the current young players for giving their all in the second half. They played to their current skill level, let’s hope 2026 is the year they figure it out. 

[The Great Hambino]

Man alive, Falvey has a giant head.  He looks like wouldn't be out of place on Easter Island.

Good thing, too.  He needs all the space he can get for that galaxy brain of his.

Also, I loved Shelton as Boris the Blade in Snatch.  Now there's a guy who knew how to get things done

[IndianaTwin]

10 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I've got no problem with Shelton, of the four reported candidates, he probably would have been my choice too. He was probably more qualified than Rocco Baldelli back in 2019 when Baldelli was hired in the first place.

But I don't know that trying to find historical comps to justify the hiring is helping. Everyone is upset with this team. Ownership, front office, players. I'm not sure these comparisons are going to win anyone over. Particularly because the biggest X factor in this comp was omitted; Shelton didn't go to the big pocket 2004 Red Sox, he went to the 2026 Twins. I'm guessing if Terry Francona instead was hired by the 2004 Royals, he'd have been out of baseball and long forgotten by now.

I think you’re on target in naming the contextual difference of 2026 Twins and 2004 Red Sox. I don’t have a sense on how Shelton compares to the other candidates, so I don’t have an opinion on whether he was a good hire. 

Given the amount of distaste for ownership and the front office that you name, however, my wondering is whether Shelton is even going to be given a chance. It seems to me that a large percentage of TD readers have already declared him a failure. 

[Doctor Wu]

9 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Francona had Schilling, Rolen for all 4 years and Abreu for 3 in Philadelphia. The Phillies payroll was not near the bottom of baseball in that time.

Bill Simmons wrote early in his Red Sox career

Clearly learning happened for Francona and he grew into a very good manager when he wasn’t one in Philadelphia. We can only hope that Shelton has learned and grown from his failures in Pittsburgh. It is possible. Francona is an example.

Well, something good happened with Francona, because I remember those years in Philadelphia, and he didn't appear to have done much good with those teams. Can't Shelton replicate a transformation like that? Well, I'm doubtful, but also hopeful. Never say never. 

[dxpavelka]

19 hours ago, Cris E said:

Derek Shelton <> Terry Francona

EDIT: To clarify, I am not saying they are in any way interchangeable. Rather that these are not at all alike. This situation has a few differences from Franona's second gig with the 2004 Boston Red Sox roster, for example.  

That statement could be made and be true by inserting any two names.  In other news grass is green.

[dxpavelka]

8 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

I think you’re on target in naming the contextual difference of 2026 Twins and 2004 Red Sox. I don’t have a sense on how Shelton compares to the other candidates, so I don’t have an opinion on whether he was a good hire. 

Given the amount of distaste for ownership and the front office that you name, however, my wondering is whether Shelton is even going to be given a chance. It seems to me that a large percentage of TD readers have already declared him a failure. 

C'mon man.  Don't have an opinion?  Do what every one else does.  Just say the sky is falling and there is and never will be any hope.  

[Cris E]

2 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

That statement could be made and be true by inserting any two names.  In other news grass is green.

It was in direct response to an article trying to draw parallels between these two. It's a dumb point to raise because the two teams were so utterly different that lessons drawn will not reflect much on the managers.

What's your point? You've just called out two posters for not having an opinion, which does not add value. Write about Shelton.

[jorgenswest]

4 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Well, something good happened with Francona, because I remember those years in Philadelphia, and he didn't appear to have done much good with those teams. Can't Shelton replicate a transformation like that? Well, I'm doubtful, but also hopeful. Never say never. 

The Red Sox had a pretty good roster and the payroll flexibility to give him a chance. I am not sure anyone can be successful in the Twins circumstance.

[thelanges5]

Love the LaTroy signing for the bullpen coach. Who’s going to be in his bullpen. Right now it is just Sands and Fundy. 
 

I’m much more concerned with the roster construction that I am about the Shelton hiring.