2024 Minnesota Twins Preview: Rocco Baldelli’s Management and Coaching Staff

Minnesota stayed the course following a successful 2023 season. David Popkins is back as the head man of three hitting coaches, while Tommy Watkins, Hank Conger, and Jayce Tingler also return to their posts. Nick Paparesta will look to keep the guys healthy again, and it will be on Rocco Baldelli to put the pieces together.

The most significant shift this season could be how the bullpen and starting rotation are utilized. Over the past two seasons, how Baldelli utilizes his pitchers has been a constant topic of conversation. Whether commenting on short starts, bullpen usage, or how Sonny Gray felt about his innings, most of the quips have been misguided.

Baldelli is tasked with managing his team with the whole season in mind. Regarding the lineup, that has often meant utilizing platoons and moving players around. That should be expected to continue this season, considering the additions of Manuel Margot and Carlos Santana. It’s on the mound where things may change.

The 2022 campaign included plenty of short starts from the Twins rotation, because the group featured mediocre arms like Chris Archer, Dylan Bundy, and Devin Smeltzer. Last season, only two teams in MLB got more innings per start, because the group featured arms like Pablo López, a Cy Young-caliber version of Gray, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober. Much of that corps remains this season, but Chris Paddack and the likely patchwork of the fifth spot bring availability concerns to the rotation.

There shouldn’t be any shock when Paddack or Louie Varland are lifted before getting deep into an opposing lineup a third time, and that means much more responsibility will be placed on the bullpen. With that reality in view, it’s also not a shock that Derek Falvey has focused on adding depth to the relief corps. Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, and Brock Stewart aren’t going to enter games in the fifth or sixth inning routinely, but to get them in during the later stages, the lower-leverage arms have to do some heavy lifting.

Minnesota will rely heavily upon arms like Justin Topa, Jay Jackson, Steven Okert, and Josh Staumont to bridge the gap between their starters and the shutdown relievers. That group contains plenty of its own question marks, but Baldelli will need to decide who gets the biggest chances and how long of a leash each has. Where the rotation seemed to have depth a season ago, the bullpen appears to have taken over this time.

Bullpen management is the in-game aspect for which managers are most often criticized. Baldelli has often left himself open to that during his tenure, and he’ll now need to tighten up which strings he and Pete Maki are pulling and when. Despite their injury trouble, the Twins should have one of the best units in all of baseball.

Coming in as the most senior manager in the division. Baldelli has a strong idea as to what the competition looks like. At the same time, A.J. Hinch is the more decorated skipper. The Cleveland Guardians go from Terry Francona to a completely green Stephen Vogt, which puts both of the chief competitors for Minnesota in something of an interesting position.

This may be a season in which Baldelli could perform his greatest job yet. It's the one in which expectations are highest, though, and that could create some unexpected pressure.