The Minnesota Twins tabbed former bench coach and fired Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton to lead the squad this season. There is going to be turnover from Rocco Bladelli’s staff, and three changes have already been announced.
Shelton will need to continue filling out his staff, and there are still key roles to cover. When it comes to second in command, the responsibility falls on the bench coach. Jayce Tingler is gone, and Minnesota’s managerial runner up could be the answer.
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James Rowson in play for Minnesota Twins bench coach
Jayce Tingler is headed to the San Francisco Giants as Tony Vitello’s bench coach. Shelton is looking for experience to add in his staff, and James Rowson appears to be a frontrunner at this point.
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“I have heard from multiple people that the the Twins would like James Rowson, who finished runner up for this job and was also a finalist in 2019 when the job went to Baldelli, they would like James Rowson to be the bench coach. He’s very close to Shelton also.”
Aaron Gleeman – Gleeman and The Geek podcast
Hiring the runner up for a lead job as the second in command is probably weird in most situations. However, Derek Falvey and Shelton both have connections to Rowson, and keeping him in the building is something the organization would like to see.
Rowson was employed as the New York Yankees hitting coach last season, and this would be a promotion for him. Operating as a bench coach would also keep Rowson in contention for future managerial jobs down the line.
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If the Minnesota Twins wanted to show a level of turnover among the coaching staff, this certainly isn’t the way to do it. They hired a manager that was their former bench coach, and the next hire looks as though it could be another retread as well.
The front office and organization needs to find a way to invigorate fans after a 70-92 season. This certainly can’t be the best path to do so.
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