Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

One of the big Twins-related storylines of this MLB postseason was the resounding success of the Toronto Blue Jays offense, and the widespread acclaim for their new hitting coach David Popkins and his role. It’s obviously not a narrative that reflects especially well on the Twins, who scapegoated Popkins after the 2024 collapse only to see their offense further regress under Matt Borgschulte in 2025. 

But in some ways, it really does reflect well. Minnesota’s front office saw something in Popkins when they fished him out of the Dodgers minor-league system years earlier. They knew the type of impact he could have, even if it never fully came to fruition here.

That’s been a long-running theme for the Twins since Derek Falvey came aboard. Back in the Terry Ryan era, it was almost stunning how rarely other teams tried to pillage the Minnesota staff, even when the Twins were darlings of the league in the oughts. During the Falvey era, this organization has become a recruiting hot spot.

Among the names we’ve seen plucked away by other teams over the years: Jeremy Hefner (Mets), Tanner Swanson (Yankees), Pete Fatse (Red Sox), James Rowson (Marlins), Wes Johnson (LSU??). In fact, new manager Derek Shelton himself is a fine example, hired by Pittsburgh away from his bench role with the Twins after just two years. As is Borgschulte, who was pilfered from Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate by Baltimore in 2022.

Popkins wasn’t poached from the Twins by Toronto — rather, he landed there very quickly after his dismissal from Minnesota last year. A similar story played out for Jayce Tingler, who just got hired as bench coach by the Giants before his future with Minnesota was even officially addressed. (Writing was certainly on the wall.) 

And now we have yet another example to add to the pile: Corbin Day has been hired by the Marlins, joining their big-league staff as an assistant hitting coach. Previously, Day distinguished himself as a hitting coach in Single-A and Double-A for the Twins before serving as an MLB advance scout in 2025.

 

Not all of these in-demand departures have experienced success at their next stop, but many did. Popkins is the most striking example. Swanson remains quality control coach and catching coordinator for the Yankees, six years after joining their staff. Rowson is now New York’s hitting coach, contending for managerial positions. Fatse has survived coaching staff purges in three consecutive years with Boston. Hefner lasted six years as Mets hitting coach before exiting and quickly getting snapped up by the Braves. 

We’ll see what the future holds for Day and Tingler (and Baldelli?!). But there’s an unmistakable trend here: Coaches in the Twins organization, during Falvey’s tenure, have repeatedly caught the attention of other teams. They’ve been recruited away, or snagged quickly after departing, and they’ve often enjoyed a lot of success elsewhere.

It begs a critical question: What the heck is wrong with this Twins organization? Why are quality coaches being held back from getting sustained results and developing talented minor-leaguers into productive big-leaguers? That question looms large in my mind, and it’s one of the main things that makes me highly skeptical a change in managers will do much to cure what ails this franchise, even if Shelton is indeed the man for the job. 

For too many of his forebears, the job has proven unmanageable.

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