Does manager Derek Shelton have room for any more former Twins to join his revamped coaching staff? Shelton has already brought on former long-time Twins reliever LaTroy Hawkins to be the bullpen coach, so it's not wild to think about the other potential hirings that Minnesota can make as they pay homage to players of the past.
Let's have a look at five guys, alphabetically, who all played for the Twins, and would be exceptional coaching hires for the 2026 season.
Lew Ford
This one may be the furthest from happening, but Ford has the experience as a coach. A legend of the independent Atlantic League, Ford was a player and a coach for the Long Island Ducks for nine seasons. He's been just a manager for the past two seasons.
A baseball-lifer like Ford would likely entertain the opportunity of coaching at the big league level, right? The 49-year-old played with the Twins from 2003-07 and was a .272 overall hitter in Minnesota. His roots run deep with the Twins, and he has the coaching experience. Sounds like a win-win.
Torii Hunter
One of the greatest Twins in history, Hunter reportedly spoke with the organization as potentially becoming their next manager, but he never got an interview. There's no better way to keep the club's relationship with a legend than to extend the olive branch with another coaching position.
Hunter has one of the greatest defensive minds of his generation. He collected nine career Gold Glove Awards, including seven with the Twins. Hunter might be one of the most underrated stars who generated a career 50 bWAR. His style, prowess, and humility makes for a perfect coaching formula.
Trevor May
May pitched for the Twins from 2014-20, but he was especially good in the back-half of his tenure. He's been out of the game for a couple seasons now, but he is not backed away from baseball completely. He can be found streaming on YouTube with baseball insights and humor, but he's also vocal about the some of the issues that MLB and its players are facing nowadays.
He may not be currently interested in coaching right now, but May's astute observations and MLB experience make him a solid coaching candidate at some point, even if it's down the line. Fans would definitely love him on board.
Trevor Plouffe
Plouffe had a seven-year career with Minnesota. Three of those seasons included an OPS+ over 100. He was a solid player, even a 'pretty good' one at that. Plouffe, like May, can be found all over social media. He's been with Jomboy Media for six years, bringing a refreshed perspective to the modern game that the Twins' organization could use in their clubhouse.
Nick Punto
A seven-year Twin, Punto joining the staff may make the most sense. He was coaching high school ball in California for a couple years before joining the Padres staff this past season. Punto also coached MLB’s Prospect Development Pipeline League four years ago. The experience is there.