Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The coaching staff for new manager Derek Shelton has been in flux since he was named as Rocco Baldelli’s replacement. Shelton heads back to the Minnesota Twins after a long stint as the skipper for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
There was always going to be turnover on the staff, but the biggest name to go may have been 27-year organizational veteran Tommy Watkins. Hired by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, the Twins had a hole for one of their base coaches.
Rather than go with someone from within the organization, Minnesota is hiring from within the division. Come on down Grady Sizemore.
Grady Sizemore hired as new Twins first base coach
Somewhat similarly to the playing career of Rocco Baldelli, Grady Sizemore was a five-tool talent that injuries held down. The three-time All-Star became synonymous with his time playing for Cleveland, and he most recently operated as a member of the Chicago White Sox coaching staff.
Grady Sizemore, who once tormented Twins pitchers when he starred for Cleveland, will work on boosting the Twins offense next year. Sizemore, a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner as a player, is joining manager Derek Shelton’s coaching staff as an outfield and baserunning coach, a person familiar with the hire told the Minnesota Star Tribune. He will also serve as the first base coach.
The Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale is reporting that Sizemore will join the Minnesota Twins staff and take over first base coach duties. That position was held by Ramon Borrego, who will be retained and assume Tommy Watkins position at third base.
Sizemore played 10 years in the big leagues and owned a .265/.349/.457 slash line with 150 total home runs. He paired impressive speed with strong hitting and exceptional defense to generate a do-it-all-type of profile.
Prior to Will Venable being hired as the Chicago White Sox manager for 2025, Sizemore held down the interim tag for the final 45 games of 2024. The putrid team he inherited went 13-32 in that stretch.
LaTroy Hawkins was a new addition to the Twins coaching staff, while both Borrego and pitching coach Pete Maki will be back. Sizemore has familiarity with Shelton in that the new manager was his hitting coach as a professional.
It was reported that James Rowson was a candidate to join Shelton’s staff as the bench coach, but that may not work out. The organization still has to replace Jayce Tingler after he landed with the San Francisco Giants.
It also remains to be seen what happens with the hitting coach situation. Matt Borgschulte was hired last season after David Popkins and Derek Shomon were fired. The former took the Blue Jays to the World Series, and the latter was just hired by the White Sox after a solid season as an assistant with the Miami Marlins.
Mentioned in this article: Grady Sizemore Ramon Borrego
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