David Popkins

Oct. 2: In addition to Popkins, the Twins announced that assistant hitting coaches Rudy Hernandez and Derek Shoman will not return to the staff next season. Infield coach/assistant bench coach Tony Diaz also will not return to next year’s staff. The rest of the group is expected to return.

Oct. 1: The Twins have informed hitting coach David Popkins that he won’t back next season, per a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic. His contract just ended with the conclusion of the 2024 season and will not be renewed.

Popkins has been the club’s hitting coach for the past three years, getting hired prior to the 2022 campaign. The first of those seasons saw the club finish 78-84, though that wasn’t really on the offense. The club hit a collective .248/.317/.401 for a wRC+ of 106, 10th best in the majors. 2023 was more successful, as the club went 87-75 and won the American League Central. Their hitters collectively slashed .243/.326/.428 for a 108 wRC+, tied for sixth in the majors.

For a long time, it seemed like 2024 was going to be another successful campaign for the Twins. They were in playoff position for most of the season but collapsed at the end, going 9-18 in the month of September and missing out on the postseason.

The team was still strong at the plate overall this year, with a line of .246/.315/.411 and a 107 wRC+ that was ninth in the league. That includes a dismal .218/.285/.338 line and 78 wRC+ in September as the club’s season slipped away from them.

It’s always tough to separate the influence of a coach from the performances of the players. Over the course of the three years where Popkins has been the hitting coach, most of the results have been good, though the most recent stretch of play obviously leaves a bad taste. Whether one wants to blame Popkins or not would be a matter of debate. Key players like Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and others missed significant time with injuries this year and were either off the field or perhaps not playing at 100% health during the September swoon. Regardless, it seems the club has decided to go in a different direction for 2025.

The Twins have hired David Popkins as their new hitting coach, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  Popkins will take over for Edgar Varela, who was reassigned from the position earlier this month.

Popkins has worked in the Dodgers’ minor league system for the last three years, including working this past season as the hitting coach for high-A ball Great Lakes Loons.  This represents the highest tier of Popkins’ coaching experience, though as teams have increasingly looked to expand the scope of coaching hires, prior experience on a big league staff or even in the upper minors is no longer the prerequisite it once was.

Popkins also brings a fresher perspective to the mix, as he doesn’t turn 32 years old until next month and isn’t far removed from his own playing days.  An undrafted free agent, Popkins caught on with the Cardinals and played in their farm system for three seasons, reaching as high as the Double-A level in 2014.  He then went onto play three seasons of independent ball before calling it a wrap on his on-field career.

The Minnesota lineup lacked consistency in 2021, as while hitters combined for a slightly above-average 101 wRC+ (ranking 11th in baseball), the team’s overall .241/.314/.423 left something to be desired.  Overall, the Twins still showed plenty of power in finishing fifth in the league in home runs, but finished around the middle of the league in several other offensive categories.  Getting more out of Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, and Trevor Larnach could be the top priority on Popkins’ list, though the Twins also have some very dangerous bats in Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson, and (when healthy) Byron Buxton.