Will Derek Shelton get the first year boost of recent Twins skippers?

The Minnesota Twins announced Derek Shelton as manager yesterday. So, it’s a good time to look at the last four MN baseball skippers and see how they fared in Year 1. Surprisingly, the results have been almost exclusively positive in my lifetime (1985+)…

Tom Kelly

Previous Season (1986): 71-91 (full disclosure: TK coached the ‘86 squad to a 12-11 finish). The Twins had not made the playoffs since 1970.

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Ron Gardenhire

Previous Season (2001): 85-77. The Twins had not made the playoffs since 1991.

Paul Molitor

Previous Season (2014): 70-92. Four consecutive 92+ loss seasons in a row.

Rocco Baldelli

Previous Season (2018): 78-84.

The four newest Twins managers all produced instant success from the dugout’s top step.

Of course, one could argue that TK, Gardy, & Molly all inherited a youthful nucleus of talent, while Rocco had the rabbit ball in ‘19. Shelton will have a collection of spare parts and an ownership group that likely wants to remove the engine & transmission. But perhaps the Beginner’s Luck will continue in 2026.