MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have picked former bench coach Derek Shelton, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for five-plus years, as their new manager.
The Twins made a formal announcement on Thursday and scheduled an introductory news conference for Shelton on Tuesday.
Shelton had an overall record of 306-440 with the Pirates before he was fired on May 8, just 40 games into this season. The 55-year-old was the bench coach for the Twins in 2018 and 2019 under two different managers, Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. With the under-funded Pirates, Shelton never finished higher than fourth place in the NL Central or better than 76-86.
“We’ve seen firsthand the trust and respect he earns from players and how he helps them reach their best,” Twins President Derek Falvey said in a statement distributed by the team. “His journey, through both the successes and the tough stretches, has given him real perspective as a leader. That balance and his connection to what this place means to people will serve our players and staff well as we work to build something lasting for our fans and for Minnesota.”
Shelton will be the 15th manager of the Twins, who began in 1961 after the franchise moved from Washington, but he’s the first hire in their history with previous experience as a major league manager. Shelton, a native of Carbondale, Illinois, began his professional coaching career in 1997 in the New York Yankees farm system he played two seasons in. He had major league jobs on staffs with Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Toronto, with a total of 12 seasons as a hitting coach.
Baldelli was fired the day after the regular season ended with a 527-505 record over seven years, plus 3-8 in the postseason. The Twins won three AL Central titles under Baldelli, including their 101-61 finish in 2019 when the rookie skipper won the AL Manager of the Year award, but they made the playoffs only once in his last five seasons and frequently struggled to shepherd their top prospects into becoming consistent contributors.
New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, who held that role for the Twins under both Molitor and Baldelli before leaving to become bench coach of the Miami Marlins in 2020, was also one of the finalists. According to multiple reports, former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and current Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty were in the mix, too. The Twins are one of 10 MLB teams who have changed managers this year.
Shelton, who was well-regarded within the Twins organization and a close friend to Baldelli, will take over a team that spiraled to a 70-92 finish after the front office decided to use the leverage of the deadline to maximize the incoming talent and traded 10 players off the major league roster in a stunningly aggressive teardown.
The Twins traded their five best relievers, from closer Jhoan Duran on down, and left the final 54 games to a ragtag group that had eight blown saves in 18 opportunities during that span. The conversion rate of 44.4% ranked second-worst in the majors over the final two months.
The Twins are 82-119 over their last 201 games for a .408 winning percentage, and that includes a 13-game winning streak this season.
Attendance has dropped at Target Field. The Twins finished with their lowest total for 81 home games (a little more than 1.7 million tickets sold) in a non-pandemic season since 2000 when they played at the cramped and dingy Metrodome and went 69-93.
Fans mostly have directed their disdain toward ownership, with deep frustration over cost cutting that came after the 2023 breakthrough Baldelli led with the end of a record 18-game postseason losing streak and the club’s first win of a playoff series in 21 years.
Executive chair Joe Pohlad and his family members put the franchise up for sale in 2024, but decided in August to keep control and bring on two new investment groups for an infusion of cash to help pay down debt.
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