In choosing Derek Shelton, Twins made the least inspiring possible hire

Most of the time, a struggling sports team firing its coach and hiring someone new provides a reason for hope for the fan base. Maybe that person can change the franchise's approach, bring in new ideas, and inject some life into the team.

When it comes to the Twins hiring Derek Shelton as their new manager, as was officially announced on Thursday, that simply isn't the case. This was the least inspiring hire they could've made, and one that gives frustrated Twins fans no reason whatsoever to get excited about the future.

To be very clear, the Twins' issues run much deeper than the manager role. Rocco Baldelli, who was fired after seven seasons in the job, was an easy scapegoat, but Minnesota's mess isn't his fault. Their bleak current outlook falls first on a Pohlad family ownership group that has slashed payroll multiple times since a breakthrough 2023 season, and second on Derek Falvey and the front office that assembled (and then disassembled) this roster.

Nothing else feels particularly meaningful unless the Pohlads decide to invest money into the Twins' roster in 2026 and beyond. But even within payroll constraints, the franchise's decision-makers had a chance to do something interesting with this hire after moving on from Baldelli. Instead, they opted for familiarity, mediocrity, and the status quo.

The reported finalists for the job were Shelton, James Rowson, Ryan Flaherty, and Scott Servais. Other candidates involved earlier in the process included Nick Punto and Ramon Vazquez.

If the Twins wanted familiarity, they could've gone with Rowson, an excellent hitting coach (including a stint in Minnesota) who would've been a first-time manager. They could've taken a big swing on Flaherty, a 39-year-old not long removed from his MLB playing days. Punto would've invigorated the fan base. Vazquez was another first-time option. If they wanted someone who has previously managed, Servais at least won 86-plus games five times in nine seasons with the Mariners.

And yet, the Twins' process led them to Shelton, who was Baldelli's bench coach in 2019 and then went 306-440 across six seasons with the Pirates, never once winning more than 76 games.

Apr 22, 2018; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins bench coach Derek Shelton (9) at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The point here isn't to rip on Shelton. He's a baseball lifer who was highly regarded during his time as the hitting coach in Cleveland and then Tampa Bay from 2005 to 2016. It's notable that he was hired as Paul Molitor's bench coach in 2018 and retained by Baldelli the following year. It also should be acknowledged that his record in Pittsburgh had a lot to do with that franchise's ownership and front office, as Shelton was working with bottom-of-the-barrel payrolls and rosters devoid of talent.

But no matter how Falvey and the Twins spin it when they introduce Shelton at a press conference next Tuesday, this just isn't a hire that fans can get excited about. The Twins opted for a retread manager who was just fired by one of the most moribund franchises in baseball. The opted for someone they already know from his time as an assistant coach in Minnesota. They opted for a guy who has plenty of experience losing games on rebuilding teams that are hamstrung by owners with seemingly no desire to spend the money it takes to contend in Major League Baseball.

Technically, firing Baldelli and hiring Shelton counts as making a change after two disappointing seasons. Maybe it'll work out. But until proven otherwise, there's no reason to expect anything from the Twins other than more of the same mediocrity and disappointment.

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