Alchemy and the Big Inning: The Twins Have Unlocked Something at the Plate Under New Leadership

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

In a boxing match, you don't spend your time waiting and hoping for the chance to land one haymaker. If the other person in the ring were ready to go down and never get back up on the strength of one solid blow, they wouldn't be in the ring with you. Pugilism feels outdated in the 21st century, but there's a reason it was once called the "sweet science": the challenge within it is intricate. You do want to wait and build toward something, but it's the opening to deliver six or seven telling blows, not one.

That's how the Twins are turning in a devastating offensive effort so far this year, and especially during the sizzling nine-game heater on which they enter the final game of their series against the Boston Red Sox. They're patient, but they're also opportunistic—and that doesn't just mean hitting mistake pitches out of the park.

"Well, I don't know if I expected, you know, multiple seven-run innings or whatever they've been," said manager Derek Shelton on Tuesday. "I think the thing that has been the most impressive is how we've done it. It hasn't been just a homer, a hit, a hit, a hit. There's walks mixed in, I mean, hit by pitches, you cannot control, but the cadence to how we're doing it and to be able to sustain innings, I think has been what's the most impressive thing."

Shelton is right. When the Twins scored three runs against former Twin Sonny Gray Tuesday night in the fourth inning, the tallies came on four straight hits to start the frame. One of those was a homer, but it was just the opening volley. They hammered away at Gray while he was reeling, with three more hits. In the first inning Monday night, they scored four times on Garrett Crochet without a home run, and they already had three runs on the board against him in the second before crushing two long homers to put the game away.

This is not to decry home runs, which remain a focal point of every modern offense, including the Twins'. As Shelton noted, though, it will have to be more than that, if the team wants to sustain the success they've enjoyed over the last fortnight.

"We have to manufacture runs," Shelton said. "Home runs are sexy, but they don’t sustain." He went on to say that his focus within each inning is to get a runner to third base with less than two outs, however that has to be done. He believes the team can apply much more pressure to the pitcher and open holes in the defense by consistently creating those situations within innings.

Vital to that endeavor is a shared focus, and lots of communication—both in the dugout, and around the batting cage. Shelton believes new lead hitting coach Keith Beauregard has prepared his charges brilliantly, and that they're able to feed off one another because they've learned to speak the same hitting language and pass information quickly.

"The greatest indication is, watch our dugout for two innings [Monday]," Shelton said. "Just the enthusiasm, the excitement, the conversation. I think the thing that is imparted is, you see young players now, Keaschall, Lee, coming back, having conversations with guys on deck, guys in the hole. This is what the pitch does. That comes when you have veteran hitters and they have the ability to communicate. And we were fortunate that we were able to add some guys to our group that really have a good way about them."

He's talking—everyone around the Twins is talking—about Josh Bell and Victor Caratini. Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee are polished, smart, self-possessed hitters, and Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers have been leading by example for years, but Bell and Caratini have been welcome additions to a mix of hitters who had underachieved over the past two seasons. When information flows freely through the lineup, so does confidence; so does conviction; and so does production.

Some of this is technical, rather than merely a vibe. The Twins have five of the biggest bat speed decliners in the sport so far this season, according to Statcast: Caratini, Bell, Buxton, Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. In reality, though, those guys are capable of swinging as hard as ever. As Jeffers began doing more frequently last year, they're merely modulating their swings more—not cutting them down, but changing how they start them and how they visualize finishing them. Under Beauregard's tutelage, these guys are anticipating and preparing with a greater sense of surety, which has them starting earlier and knowing what they're looking for in the box. If they get it, they're already on their way to it, and they don't have to rush their barrel, thus losing accuracy with it. If the pitch isn't what they expected, they have the faith in their preparation and in one another to either take it or whiff on it, rather than making an emergency adjustment that leads to weak contact.

Bell was a perfect addition, because he was already doing that before he arrived.

"They really haven't asked me to do anything different," Bell said of his approach and his mechanics. "We just talk about what we're looking for and being ready when we get it, and I have no problems with that because the results have been great."

For other Twins, the adjustment has been bigger, but the rewards they're now starting to reap make it all feel worthwhile. Kody Clemens gave back the swing speed gains he made in 2025, which allowed him to hit 19 home runs in his first extended playing time in the majors. Unlike Bell, he has ugly numbers so far this year, but he's reached base five times (including hitting a home run) in his last 13 trips to the plate, as he's gotten more used to the marriage between preparation and execution under Beauregard and company.

"it’s hard. It’s hard for hitting coaches," Shelton said of his staff's fight to stay on message and keep the hitters onside when the season began with more frustrating days. "And that’s the frustration of hitting coaches. Because players want immediate results. They want immediate success. So the commitment, the conversations, the communication when you’re in the cage is vital. And that’s where that trust is built. And that trust is not built easy."

Clemens, at least, had the spring to implement the alterations Beauregard, Rayden Sierra and Trevor Amicone prescribed for his timing. Buxton had no such luck.

"For the most part, my swing feels good [now," Buxton said, after breaking out in a massive way Tuesday night after slowly warming for the previous week. "Still a few things to figure out here and there—three weeks, eight at-bats will set you back a little bit."

He's referring to his time with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, where he only played sparingly. That also denied him time with Beauregard, Sierra and Amicone, and he admitted to trying to "rush my swing back" in the first days of the season. 

Now, Buxton is very much in the middle of the Twins' offensive outburst. He not only hit two long homers Tuesday night, but scored the team's first run in the style Shelton seems to prefer. He was on second when Keaschall hit a flared liner to center in the first inning. He initially froze, but saw that Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran got a late break on the ball and turned on the jets. He scored, albeit on a close play after a highly aggressive send. Shelton called the decision to try it "elite," and both the manager and his star chuckled after the game about a shared moment in the dugout later. Buxton asked Shelton whether he thought he should have stayed at third on the play. 

Shelton said he trusted Buxton, and that he was the one on the field, reading it in the moment. That's the level of trust between the skipper and his offensive leaders, and the level of ownership and energy the lineup is taking, in turn. It won't always be this rosy, but for now, the Twins are rolling, thanks to a corps of hitters playing to their potential under a shaken-up coaching staff and a nice balance of new and old veteran leadership. They have patience, but once the opening comes, they want to land five knockout punches, not just one.

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[Doctor Gast]

I'm very happy with the change of hitting philosophy from hitting "moonshots" to getting on base, keep it moving along & getting clutch hits. It's not only seeing that "moonshot" philosophy doesn't work, but also to have a plan to transition away from it.

[ashbury]

Thanks for the jinx on today's game.  😁

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm very happy with the change of hitting philosophy from hitting "moonshots" to getting on base, keep it moving along & getting clutch hits. It's not only seeing that "moonshot" philosophy doesn't work, but also to have a plan to transition away from it.

Every team emphasizes hitting the ball hard. It works better. 

[KirbyDome89]

52 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Every team emphasizes hitting the ball hard. It works better. 

This. 

I'll add; enjoy the good stretch of play. It's fun, it's the baseball we all want to watch. Idk how long it'll last, but living and dying on April 15th distracts, at least for me. 

[Bodie]

NOOOO!

What will I do without 20 HR, 40 RBI seasons?

[Danchat]

41 minutes ago, Bodie said:

NOOOO!

What will I do without 20 HR, 40 RBI seasons?

Don't worry, Wallner is primed to do it again!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

9 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm very happy with the change of hitting philosophy from hitting "moonshots" to getting on base, keep it moving along & getting clutch hits. It's not only seeing that "moonshot" philosophy doesn't work, but also to have a plan to transition away from it.

Agree. The best way to hit the ball hard consistently over the course of a season is to see the pitch and keep your head in and put a good swing on it. 

[Doctor Gast]

14 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Every team emphasizes hitting the ball hard. It works better. 

Where did I say that hitters should not hit the ball hard? The "moonshot" philosophy problem is more on creating holes in your swing, poor contact & striking out. Getting a hit, especially in high-leverage situations, is more important than making an out or hitting the ball out of ball park when you don't need one.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

19 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm very happy with the change of hitting philosophy from hitting "moonshots" to getting on base, keep it moving along & getting clutch hits. It's not only seeing that "moonshot" philosophy doesn't work, but also to have a plan to transition away from it.

I agree 100% Doc.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Great use of the boxing analogy. That is also true in wrestling and in the courtroom in trials and in politics. 

[Bodie]

11 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

Agree. The best way to hit the ball hard consistently over the course of a season is to see the pitch and keep your head in and put a good swing on it. 

Really difficult to hit it hard without the "hit" part of the equation. 

[ashbury]

23 hours ago, Hosken Bombo Disco said:

Agree. The best way to hit the ball hard consistently over the course of a season is to see the pitch and keep your head in and put a good swing on it. 

"Keep your eye on the ball."  Bery bery good advice.

 

[Major League Ready]

I have not gone back to look at the threads around the time Shelton but I remember most were disappointed because he had been with the organization previously and he represented more of the same.  Three weeks into the season and nothings the same.  Talk about a roller coaster. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

15 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I have not gone back to look at the threads around the time Shelton but I remember most were disappointed because he had been with the organization previously and he represented more of the same.  Three months into the season and nothings the same.  Talk about a roller coaster. 

I think you're right. Things are different. Starting Pitchers stay in the game longer, hitters are looking for contact more and walking more instead of looking for HRs all the time, the team seem looser and more connected to each other, and the vibe just feels different. Look, this team has some serious flaws. They will manifest over the course of the year and there will be some stretches of bad play and losing streaks. Still, we could have tanked right out of the gate and didn't. I have to give Shelton some credit for that. Now, if only we could find a bullpen some place  . . .

[KirbyDome89]

15 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I have not gone back to look at the threads around the time Shelton but I remember most were disappointed because he had been with the organization previously and he represented more of the same.  Three months into the season and nothings the same.  Talk about a roller coaster. 

I don't think that's really the case. Other than SP usage it's business as usual, and that long leash for starters has more to do with the state of the bullpen IMO. 

[Linus]

Regarding the “new” style of hitting I think we need to wait a little. If this season was a game we would be in the first inning. There are almost certainly dry spells ahead. We will see how many and for how long 

[Major League Ready]

41 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

I don't think that's really the case. Other than SP usage it's business as usual, and that long leash for starters has more to do with the state of the bullpen IMO. 

I am just pointing out what's been said here.