Twins Hire LaTroy Hawkins to Lead Reconstructed Bullpen

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

On Thursday it was reported that LaTroy Hawkins will join the reconfigured Minnesota Twins coaching staff as bullpen coach under new manager Derek Shelton. Without doing much research, I would venture to guess that few people in the history of baseball have ever been as qualified for this role, at least on paper.

First there is the unparalleled practical experience. He pitched for 11 different teams over his 21-year major-league career and ranks 10th all-time in appearances with 1,042. During his playing days, Hawkins experienced pretty much everything that a modern-day relief pitcher might be dealing with: pressure, failure, success, trades, demotions, transitioning from a starter, and so on. 

Secondly, there is all the added perspective Hawkins has gained in his post-playing career. He has coached college players and youth of various age groups as part of USA Baseball. He has served as a special assistant in the Twins front office for several years, and has frequently appeared on broadcasts as an analyst.

The one thing you consistently hear about Hawkins is how well he blends old-school sensibilities with new-age philosophies, bringing a perpetual curiosity and learning mentality despite his depth of experience in the game. That will be important as the Twins look to forge a new identity under Shelton.

Hawkins is going to be tasked with a monumental challenge. Minnesota's front office will be rebuilding its bullpen essentially from scratch after shipping out nearly all of their established relievers at the 2024 deadline. However the team goes about putting together a relief corps next season, it promises to be a big ol' experiment. 

Gambles on low-cost free agents? Another round of reclamation projects off waivers? Converting marginal minor-league starters into relievers on the fly? It's all in play and each of these avenues is likely to play a role in constructing the 2026 Twins bullpen. What you are not likely to see is the addition of high-profile, established arms that will be plug-and-play. 

In this context, the presence of a respected, seasoned, deeply knowledgeable voice like Hawk could be massively impactful, making this one of the most commendable moves we've seen from the Twins in some time. You can never predict how a coach is going to take to the job at the MLB level, but the credentials here are nearly unparalleled and as a bonus, it will be nice to see a likable and familiar face back in uniform during what may be a trying season. 

I have huge doubts about the ability of the Twins to field even a reasonably competent bullpen next year, given how little they have to work with. But the addition of Hawkins and his wealth of experience gives me a little more faith and optimism.

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[jmlease1]

He seems like a really good fit for the role and definitely wanted it. I like the move. That said, he's got a lot of work ahead of him to help identify the right guys to come into the bullpen, coach up guys that might have promise but aren't there yet, guide former starters through the transition, etc.

Hawk is going to need a talent infusion to work with.

[mluebker]

Excellent choice. Let’s hope they let him actually do the job.

 

[sweetmusicviola16]

The best hire by this organization in some time imo. Hopefully Shelton, Hawkins,etc will be able to overcome our FO in time.

[TheLeviathan]

LaTroy seems like a genuinely great dude.  I hope he has a lot of success with this overwhelming project on his hnds.

[Blyleven2011]

The twins need to form a new identity  ...

we haven't had a real identity since the bomba Squad ...

Hawkins will do his best and I'm sure it will be just fine and he should get alot of respect from the younger players who can appreciate that he had a 20 years plus career ...

Everyone wants longevity in baseball and Hawkins is your man ...

[AceWrigley]

King of the Bullpen.

[GNess]

Bravo Twins FO. 

[Doctor Gast]

We are very fortunate to have someone like LaTroy in this organization. The fact that he was willing & it was a no-brainer, the selection was quick. La Troy has a good eye for talent, but what is even more impressive, IMO, is his being so personable & the know-how to bring along these pitchers into reaching & maintaining their potential. It'd take more time to find & attract the best bench coach outside the organization. LaTroy was my pick for  BP coach, Charlie Greene (MIL BP coach) is my bench coach pick, Tori Hunter is my OF/ 3B coach, Nelson Cruz is my hitting (maybe need to bring someone in to help with the bunting)/ 1B coach & Ron Washington is my INF coach. Hunter & Washington may be long shots, but if they were able to land Hunter, it'd be easier to land Washington. IMO, this would make a great team. So far, 1 out of 4 is a good start. & would spark some hope for the future.

PS- Shelton & Greene should be able to come up with a great catching coach.

[JBK]

Best move in the last three years

[HerbieFan]

Early in his career Hawk made the transition from starter to reliever as well.  He has experience in all things this team will need to build a bullpen from scratch.

[ashbury]

I've heard of him so this is a good choice.

[High heat]

He bring experience and knowledge of transitioning from struggled starting pitcher with good stuff to successful bullpen arm to closer.  
 

I think the Twins have and will have lots of those in the 2026 and 2027 bullpen.  How the Twins make that transition for pitchers will be a big part of them possibly have any kind of success going forward.

[Blyleven2011]

4 hours ago, ashbury said:

I've heard of him so this is a good choice.

Must of heard good things about hawk that you approve of ...

Hawk will be fine ...

[DocBauer]

Any rebuild won't happen overnight. But before you get to a dominate bullpen, you have to ask for competency. And this upcoming season, probably more than most, is going to be a mix of ages, experience, and previous success. Or lack there of.

Hawk is a very bright guy, well liked, and literally has some of the most pen experience of all time. I believe he will embrace all of the data available today, along with the combination of experience and psychology that comes with it. He knows what it means to fail and to succeed.

While I like his hiring overall, and believe he can do the job with a variety of different players, I think working with a number of young arms that have transitioned, or are about to, from starter to reliever is where he might make his most immediate mark.

[DMcQ]

Great Hire! Clearly qualified. This rebuild will not be easy. BOL LH!

[Whitey333]

Great hire.  LaTroy Hawkins should be a great addition.

[jmlease1]

23 hours ago, mluebker said:

Excellent choice. Let’s hope they let him actually do the job.

 

What exactly do you think "they" are going to do to stop him?

[mluebker]

1 minute ago, jmlease1 said:

What exactly do you think "they" are going to do to stop him?

The guy has a terrific range of experience going back to his playing days when coaches made decisions based on their gut, all the way up through developing young talent and using the latest analytics and statistics. As long as they don’t handcuff him to an iPad things should be fine.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

By logic and on paper, Hawkins should be a terrific hire. Now we need to see if either of those things translate.  He will have his work cut out for him trying to make a bullpen work out of some questionable parts (with potential, but still questionable).  He’s an easy guy to root for in the role.  Go get’’em Hawk!

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I hope he wins!

[IndianaTwin]

But let’s call him “LaTroy’” rather than “Hawk.” I still have PTSD from watching White Sox games with Ken Harrelson. 

[The Great Hambino]

In addition to having converted from starter to reliever, his background with having experience with several different roles as a reliever - closer, set up, lower leverage, etc - should give him a chance to provide firsthand experience in helping guys out with those roles.  That can't hurt

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Under the thumb of Mr. Woodford Reserve? Okeedokee?

[Doctor Wu]

Great to have Hawkins in this role. But reconstructed bullpen? Did I somehow miss I the reconstruction? Who did we sign? Ugh, okay, I get it: this process is an ongoing one and still in the future. But please, don't delay too long in finding some capable arms for Hawkins to work with. This bullpen needs a LOT of work and we can't rely in just our in-house options. 

[Fatbat]

Great pick for BP coach. They will definitely be saving some games and I hope they allow Hawk to bring in some talented arms. I know thats asking alot!