{"id":408377,"date":"2025-10-31T07:04:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/408377\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T07:04:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T07:04:19","slug":"derek-shelton-paul-skenes-and-the-next-wave-of-twins-stars-twins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/408377\/","title":{"rendered":"Derek Shelton, Paul Skenes, and the Next Wave of Twins Stars – Twins"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Minnesota Twins appear set to bring a familiar face back into the fold,\u00a0as multiple reports<\/a> indicate Derek Shelton<\/a> is expected to be named the team\u2019s next manager. Shelton, who previously served as the Twins\u2019 bench coach under Rocco Baldelli<\/a>, spent most of the last six seasons managing the Pittsburgh Pirates. While his win-loss record in Pittsburgh may not jump off the page, his reputation for player development and leadership has earned him another opportunity to guide a major-league club.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tShelton\u2019s tenure with the Pirates was defined by the steady climb of a young roster learning to compete at the game\u2019s highest level. The brightest example of his impact came in 2024, when top overall pick Paul Skenes<\/a> burst onto the scene and instantly became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tGetting the Most Out of a Phenom
When Skenes debuted for the Pirates, the hype surrounding him was almost impossible to live up to. A former No. 1 overall pick and college superstar, Skenes carried the expectations of a franchise desperate for an ace. Under Shelton\u2019s leadership, he met those expectations\u2014and even exceeded them.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring his rookie season, Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts, striking out 170 batters across 133 innings. He was even better in 2025, leading the NL in ERA (1.97), ERA+ (217), FIP (2.36), WHIP (0.95), and HR\/9 (0.5). His combination of overpowering stuff and unwavering composure helped him become the front-runner for the 2025 National League Cy Young<\/a> Award. Shelton\u2019s approach was a key part of that success. He managed Skenes\u2019s workload carefully, never pushing him too far too fast, and allowed the young right-hander to find his own rhythm within the structure of a big-league routine. At the same time, he allowed the young hurler to blossom into a true workhorse.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever seen a rookie that poised,\u201d Shelton said at last year\u2019s MLB Winter Meetings. \u201cTo see the lack of emotion, I think right now if you call Paul Skenes, he\u2019s ready for the season to start.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThat poise became Skenes\u2019s calling card, and Shelton deserves credit for helping him navigate the pressure of being the face of a rebuilding franchise. On a Pirates team that often struggled to provide run support or defensive consistency, Skenes remained the club\u2019s constant. Even during losing streaks, his preparation and demeanor reflected the calm leadership Shelton preached.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLeadership Through Adversity
Shelton\u2019s record with the Pirates was an ugly 306-440, but those numbers tell only part of the story. He took over in November 2019, during a full-scale franchise reset led by owner Bob Nutting. The first three years were grueling, with the club winning less than 40 percent of its games, including back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Yet, by 2023, there were clear signs of progress. Pittsburgh won 76 games and briefly flirted with playoff contention that summer, before a late-season slide.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Skenes arrived the following spring, the team\u2019s energy changed. Shelton fostered a clubhouse culture that emphasized accountability and preparation, traits that became essential for a rookie handling enormous expectations. Even when the offense faltered in 2025 and the Pirates fell out of contention early, players continued to praise Shelton\u2019s steadiness.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen he was dismissed earlier this year, Skenes summed up the clubhouse sentiment perfectly.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cUnfortunately, I wasn\u2019t shocked,\u201d he said. \u201cSomeone\u2019s got to be held accountable, and unfortunately right now, it\u2019s him. That\u2019s just kind of how it goes, but I don\u2019t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is we need to play better.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThose words carried weight coming from a player Shelton had mentored so closely. They reflected mutual respect and the type of bond that can only form between a player and a manager who share a singular goal: maximizing potential.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tReturning to Minnesota with a Familiar Mission
Now, Shelton is poised to bring that developmental mindset back to Minnesota. His first stint with the Twins helped shape Baldelli\u2019s early success, particularly in building cohesive communication across a diverse roster. This time, the challenge will be different. The Twins are shifting toward a younger core, and Shelton\u2019s ability to guide emerging stars could prove invaluable.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe organization\u2019s top prospect, Walker Jenkins<\/a>, isn\u2019t far from his major-league debut. Like Skenes, he will arrive with considerable expectations as a potential franchise cornerstone. Shelton\u2019s experience managing a phenom through that type of pressure should serve him well. He knows how to balance patience with performance, and he understands the importance of nurturing both the physical and mental aspects of a young player\u2019s transition to the big leagues.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIf Shelton can replicate even a fraction of the success he helped Skenes achieve, the Twins could be entering an exciting new chapter. A return to familiar surroundings, combined with a proven track record of getting the most out of elite talent, makes Shelton a fitting choice to lead Minnesota\u2019s next wave of stars.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat stands out most about the relationship between Shelton and Skenes? Leave a comment and start the discussion.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Twins appear set to bring a familiar face back into the fold,\u00a0as multiple reports indicate Derek…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2388],"tags":[5,57306,1728,822,60,3190,4,877,148,15028],"class_list":{"0":"post-408377","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-twins","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-dc-analysis","10":"tag-derek-shelton","11":"tag-minnesota","12":"tag-minnesota-twins","13":"tag-minnesotatwins","14":"tag-mlb","15":"tag-paul-skenes","16":"tag-twins","17":"tag-walker-jenkins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115467509165222148","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}