The Twins Seem to Hire Well, But Can't Actualize Impact

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

One of the big Twins-related storylines of this MLB postseason was the resounding success of the Toronto Blue Jays offense, and the widespread acclaim for their new hitting coach David Popkins and his role. It's obviously not a narrative that reflects especially well on the Twins, who scapegoated Popkins after the 2024 collapse only to see their offense further regress under Matt Borgschulte in 2025. 

But in some ways, it really does reflect well. Minnesota's front office saw something in Popkins when they fished him out of the Dodgers minor-league system years earlier. They knew the type of impact he could have, even if it never fully came to fruition here.

That's been a long-running theme for the Twins since Derek Falvey came aboard. Back in the Terry Ryan era, it was almost stunning how rarely other teams tried to pillage the Minnesota staff, even when the Twins were darlings of the league in the oughts. During the Falvey era, this organization has become a recruiting hot spot.

Among the names we've seen plucked away by other teams over the years: Jeremy Hefner (Mets), Tanner Swanson (Yankees), Pete Fatse (Red Sox), James Rowson (Marlins), Wes Johnson (LSU??). In fact, new manager Derek Shelton himself is a fine example, hired by Pittsburgh away from his bench role with the Twins after just two years. As is Borgschulte, who was pilfered from Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate by Baltimore in 2022.

Popkins wasn't poached from the Twins by Toronto — rather, he landed there very quickly after his dismissal from Minnesota last year. A similar story played out for Jayce Tingler, who just got hired as bench coach by the Giants before his future with Minnesota was even officially addressed. (Writing was certainly on the wall.) 

And now we have yet another example to add to the pile: Corbin Day has been hired by the Marlins, joining their big-league staff as an assistant hitting coach. Previously, Day distinguished himself as a hitting coach in Single-A and Double-A for the Twins before serving as an MLB advance scout in 2025.

 

Not all of these in-demand departures have experienced success at their next stop, but many did. Popkins is the most striking example. Swanson remains quality control coach and catching coordinator for the Yankees, six years after joining their staff. Rowson is now New York's hitting coach, contending for managerial positions. Fatse has survived coaching staff purges in three consecutive years with Boston. Hefner lasted six years as Mets hitting coach before exiting and quickly getting snapped up by the Braves. 

We'll see what the future holds for Day and Tingler (and Baldelli?!). But there's an unmistakable trend here: Coaches in the Twins organization, during Falvey's tenure, have repeatedly caught the attention of other teams. They've been recruited away, or snagged quickly after departing, and they've often enjoyed a lot of success elsewhere.

It begs a critical question: What the heck is wrong with this Twins organization? Why are quality coaches being held back from getting sustained results and developing talented minor-leaguers into productive big-leaguers? That question looms large in my mind, and it's one of the main things that makes me highly skeptical a change in managers will do much to cure what ails this franchise, even if Shelton is indeed the man for the job. 

For too many of his forebears, the job has proven unmanageable.

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[Rod Carews Birthday]

You bring up a good point.  We seem to be hiring a lot of good people, but they achieve their biggest successes only after they leave the Twins.  Certainly small sample size is a big factor in this, but I think it also has to do with a lack of talent depth on the team.  Sure, we have Buxton, Ryan, and Pablo (and even Buxton has been more promise than achievement until recently), but maybe guys like Lee, Sands, SWR, Miranda, Julien, and Larnach just aren’t that talented.  It’s a big step from AAA to the majors, and probably an even bigger one to stardom.  We have guys who can make it to the league but seemingly can’t take that next step.  Unfortunately for coaches and managers, they’re easier to fire than the players.  

[Cris E]

Colby Suggs has a good reputation but has just been displaced in the bullpen, so we may be losing another shortly.

 

EDIT: it may be that this org needs a scapegoat every year and those consequences rarely reach the levels they ought. The poorly built 2022 team with no bench led to a training staff purge.  Bad hitting means a new coach. Trade away the bullpen and fire that coach.

Some of this should have been Falvey's problem, but more should be laid at the door of ownership and its perennial shrug when a flat investment of 47% of revenue (or whatever the formula is) doesn't allow them to keep up with the market. 

[Doctor Gast]

IMO, you have to isolate who is responsible for hiring, whoever is responsible for hiring the likes of Swanson, Johnson, Rowson, Popkins? & why weren't they promoted to keep them around & why was Popkins fired? Who's responsible for the philosophies that handicapped them? Also, who's responsible for hiring Conger & the like & promoting them? Falvey likes everything occult, so he can take the credit when things go right & side-step things when they go wrong.

[Hrbeks Divot]

One trend I see in the article is that our coaches seem to go to larger markets. That typically equals larger payrolls and better talent. I know I’m generalizing but it’s easier to coach better players, right? Sure those teams have disappointing outcomes too but overall it’s easier to buy the next great player. If the Twins have a $200 million payroll it stands to reason they’re more successful and this, the coaches look like they are doing a better job. Maybe some of these guys actually were successful here and got the most they could out of the talent level they had to work with.

[rv78]

Last 2 posts totally nailed it.

All you have to do is look up and see who is controlling the Managers and Coaches. There's your answer. It's really not that complicated.

[FlyingFinn]

Maybe it isn't the coaches but it's overestimating the talent of some of the players. Thus, these coaches were actually maximizing their ability already.

[BillyBallLives]

 You're trying to tell me the Twins have a pattern: hire the talent, then watch it flourish… somewhere else?

[TJSweens]

These coaches do better away from the Twins because their new teams don't force them to make chicken salad out of chicken manure. Coaches will do well here when Sean Johnson and the amateur scouting department do a better job of drafting.

[bean5302]

Derek Falvey envisions the organizational strategy and asks coaches to implement it. Popkins did exactly what Falvey asked by reducing K's and focusing more on contact in 2024, and the results reflected that in an impressive fashion. It's Falvey's strategy which was flawed since it didn't play to the strengths of the players Falvey drafted and his team developed.

Falvey is by far the biggest problem for this organization's on field performance.

[Nshore]

I liked it better back in the prehistoric days when I was younger, and fans barely knew who the manager's staff was.  It was all about the players, and the players being good enough and performing well enough to win.  Pretty much still the case.  Most likely the established millionaire players have their own support team for every single thing right down to the food they eat.

[BillyBallLives]

 This is the Minnesota Sports riddle of the day for all you Wild and Twins fans out there!!!

Q: If Fenton put a Dent-In the Wild…
Then what did Falvey do to the Twins?

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Ans: Falvey flattened ‘em.

[Woof Bronzer]

I don't think the answer needs to be any more complicated than "it's a poorly run organization with a toxic culture".  In failing organizations the good employees who can get better or lateral jobs elsewhere leave, while the mediocre or bad employees stay and gain authority/promotions via attrition. The organizational culture is clearly terrible.  People who care about their job don't like working in environments like that.  

 

[HerbieFan]

4 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Maybe it's not the coaches, rather the strategy that the FO demands that they follow.

BIN.....GO

[old nurse]

Any thought that maybe it is the players? Who have they drafted or signed as an amateur that made it to the majors has made a success out of themselves after leaving her besides Rooker. Helman had 38 good games. Mabe it is the drafting 

[TheLeviathan]

I sometimes think Falvey is his own worst enemy.  He might have good people instincts.  He'd make a good assistant GM....but in the big chair?  Setting out team guidelines for style of play, analytics, etc?  I think that's the issue.

[Blyleven2011]

Whats wrong with this organization and whats holding our coaches behind , it's really a no brainer ...

It's been said already but I'll say it again  ....

It's a falvey problem , and one us fans have to suffer through 1 more season  ...

has he ever won executive of the year ???

 

[rv78]

15 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Whats wrong with this organization and whats holding our coaches behind , it's really a no brainer ...

It's been said already but I'll say it again  ....

It's a falvey problem , and one us fans have to suffer through 1 more season  ...

has he ever won executive of the year ???

 

When he makes a trade, the other team gives him the executive of the year award for taking their crap.

[PatPfund]

Well... you point out this is something that is only relevant under Falvey, but that means it is also only relevant under Baldelli who has been the manager for all of the staff who have been poached (at least I didn't see any examples from the one year of Falvey/Molitor). In fact, as their immediate supervisor, staff malfunction of good people is at least AS likely or maybe FAR MORE likely to be Rocco's fault than Falvey's. (One prime example is Rocco turning Lewis so dark, he refused to listen to the hitting coach. Even when the coach was giving good advice.)

Falvey is probably hoping that's true, because in the chain of can the assistants/can the manager/can the FO, the can is getting dangerously close to home.

[h2oface]

Falvey Falvey Falvey Falvey Falvey Falvey. Seems the only one that doesn't see it is............. Falvey.

Well..... and Pohlad, of course. But he doesn't count because he so obviously doesn't care.

[bean5302]

16 hours ago, old nurse said:

Any thought that maybe it is the players? Who have they drafted or signed as an amateur that made it to the majors has made a success out of themselves after leaving her besides Rooker. Helman had 38 good games. Mabe it is the drafting 

Then it's Falvey's fault for drafting the wrong guys. Or envisioning the development strategy and hiring the coaches and development team to carry out that vision. It all comes back to Falvey.

Guys who were written off and still get another big chance to break through are rare. If Rooker had been claimed by a different team who didn't already have an established corner outfielder hierarchy, for instance, do you think he would have gotten the consistent plate appearances or do you think he just would have been treated more like MiLB roster filler, and injury replacement (preferably short term) depth?

Also, I get the impression people believe a player can just unlearn bad practices and change their entire approach to the game on a whim when there's an option better suited to them. Like, "change your stance" or "add a pitch" or "stop swining at bad pitches" etc. 5+ years in the Twins system learning the Falvey way is stickier than a couple months in the minors elsewhere.

I guess my opinion is Twins development failures already have a remote chance of being given the opportunity to play because they've already been written off, if they do get an opportunity, it's not likely to be very long so they have to deliver immediately, and they've got to overcome 5+ years of bad practices instilled into them by the Twins.

[old nurse]

1 minute ago, bean5302 said:

Then it's Falvey's fault for drafting the wrong guys. Or envisioning the development strategy and hiring the coaches and development team to carry out that vision. It all comes back to Falvey.

Guys who were written off and still get another big chance to break through are rare. If Rooker had been claimed by a different team who didn't already have an established corner outfielder hierarchy, for instance, do you think he would have gotten the consistent plate appearances or do you think he just would have been treated more like MiLB roster filler, and injury replacement (preferably short term) depth?

Also, I get the impression people believe a player can just unlearn bad practices and change their entire approach to the game on a whim when there's an option better suited to them. Like, "change your stance" or "add a pitch" or "stop swining at bad pitches" etc. 5+ years in the Twins system learning the Falvey way is stickier than a couple months in the minors elsewhere.

If Falvey was running the drafty there would be no need to have the Johnsons. They follow the principles of what he is looking for in players. 

Yup, the Rooker career paths are rare. If I hadn’t mentioned Rooker somebody would Have done the what about Rooker. Instead I get the Rooker are rare comment. Rooker did not get. Consistency out of his time in SD, or KC.  

What the last two hitting coaches have said about their approach to hitting is in the exact opposite there is a “Falvey approach” to.hitting 

[Brock O. Lee]

It's a little much to credit the front office for identifying and brining in talented coaches when the front office is also responsible for firing/scapegoating many of those same coaches, especially on the hitting side. If you pick up a gold nugget and toss it back into the riverbed, you're not actually a good gold prospector. 

[Linus]

On 11/7/2025 at 10:50 AM, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Maybe it's not the coaches, rather the strategy that the FO demands that they follow.

Bingo. Or the players they are given to work with. 

[Fatbat]

Circumstances are always a consideration when personnel are replaced. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I am a bit surprised Tingler didn't get Baldelli’s job.