MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins are in the market for four new coaches, including an entire hitting department.
Days after completing an epic collapse that left them out of the playoffs, the Twins on Wednesday announced the departures of hitting coaches David Popkins and Rudy Hernandez, assistant hitting coaches Derek Shomon and assistant bench coach/infield coach Tony Diaz.
The club’s decision to not retain Popkins and Shomon was first reported in The Athletic on Tuesday.
With one year remaining on his contract, Shomon could be reassigned to a role within the team’s player development department, but the Twins are still trying to sort out that possibility.
A hitting coach since 2020, Hernandez was first hired by the Twins in 1996, working as an instructor for the team’s Venezuelan academy. In 29 years with the Twins, Hernandez worked in both the majors and the minors, serving as the team’s assistant hitting coach from 2015-19.
Diaz was hired following the 2018 season as the Twins third-base coach, a title he held for three seasons. In charge of working with the team’s infielders, Diaz spent the past three seasons in his current role.
Popkins was named hitting coach in November 2021.
Shomon worked at High-A Fort Myers in 2021 and Double-A Wichita in 2022 before joining the major-league staff in 2023.
On Aug. 17, the Twins were 70-53 and had a 92.4 percent chance of making the playoffs.
But a team that in July ranked top five in runs scored could no longer hit, a thin pitching staff couldn’t hold a lead, and fundamental play went out the window. Suddenly, a club that seemed destined for the postseason couldn’t hold it together.
Over their final 39 games, the Twins batted .228/.292/.354 and scored 3.6 runs per contest. Despite their slump, the Twins managed to finish 10th in the majors in runs scored (742) and ninth in Weighted Runs Created Plus (107) for the season. The Twins also finished in the top 10 in runs scored and wRC+ in 2023.
On Sunday, Twins shortstop Carlos Correa gave Popkins, whom he’s previously called his best major-league hitting coach, a vote of confidence.
“Definitely learned a lot about my swing, learned a lot about my approach, learned a lot about just the game in general,” Correa said. “Popkins helped me understand myself a little better. A .900 OPS for some people comes with homers and walks. For me, it comes with being a little more creative and he helped me understand that I don’t have to hit a home run every at-bat. Pop has been a huge help for me and I’m grateful that I came to this organization and he was my hitting coach.”
(Photo of David Popkins: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)
