New manager Derek Shelton wants to 'bring energy back' to Twins

A little over a month into the job, Derek Shelton admits he's still getting to know his new team. In a conversation with MLB Network at the league's Winter Meetings, the new Twins manager talked about his team and the identity he wants to instill into the young group.

"Well I don't think we can go in with it set because I don't know the group," Shelton said when asked about the lineup heading into Spring Training. "I mean, even though I was in Minnesota as the bench coach for two years, (Buxton) is the only guy that's there."

Shelton, 55, was named the Twins manager in late October, following the Twins' firing of Rocco Baldelli after seven seasons. Before taking over the Twins, Shelton was the Pirates' manager from 2020 to May 2025. Before taking the reigns in Pittsburgh, Shelton served as the Twins' bench coach in 2018 and 2019.

"So I have to go in, we have to go in as a group and we have to learn Brooks Lee, and (Eddie) Julien, and (Luke) Keaschall, and (Kody) Clemens," continued Shelton. "I mean Royce (Lewis) was a young player when I was there but really didn't know. I'm starting to develop that relationship. So, probably more so than at any point, except for maybe my first year in Pittsburgh, we're going in trying to learn the group and then what they can provide and be able to do that. So, we are going to make, as much as it is a little uncomfortable, some Spring Training decisions based off how we're seeing guys."

When asked what he wants the identity of his Twins team to be, Shelton responded he wants to see "intensity."

"We want the ability to play hard. We have a young group, so we want to bring some energy back into the game," said Shelton. "We're going to be aggressive."

One of those younger stars he'll be relying on is Royce Lewis, who has largely struggled to stay on the field in his major league career. Since making his big league debut in May of 2022, Lewis has appeared in just 258 games, with 106 of those games coming in the 2025 season.

"The thing with Royce is he's a young guy that needs confidence.," said Shelton, who flew down to Texas to meet with Lewis following being hired as the Twins manager. "I wanted him to know, and I wanted to look him eye-to-eye, and tell him how much I believe in him, and tell him how much I think he's going to be a good player. This guy has a chance to be a superstar. Number one we got to keep him on the field. Number two we got to keep him in that positive frame of mind. I wanted him to know how important it was, to me personally as the manager."

Sep 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) celebrates his RBI single against the Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Shelton was also asked about standout young infielder Luke Keaschall, who hit for a .302 average during his first season in the big leagues, which was split by a lengthy stint on the injured list. Shelton spoke glowingly of the 23-year-old, saying, "He has some special abilities."

"I think he's going to hit, number one," said Shelton. "We got to make sure the arm is back where we want it to be. And then the other thing I really like about him is he's versatile. He has the ability to play second base, go to the outfield, do different things. I think it's going to be important for a club like us to have that versatility, to be able to bounce around. But I really feel this kid's going to hit."

Shelton noted that ace righty Pablo Lopez is "great" in terms of his offseason health program, after suffering a shoulder injury that knocked him out of action for three months in 2025. Lopez returned at the end of the season to pitch in three games where he recorded 12 strikeouts in 15 innings of work.

"He's a top-end rotation guy and when you have (him) and Joe Ryan at the top, that's how you win games," said Shelton.

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