Former Twins hitting coach David Popkins lands on his feet, finds a new job

Not long after a historic collapse claimed the Minnesota Twins' chances of making the postseason, it started claiming jobs within the organization.

Hitting coach David Popkins was the first notable head to roll, as the Twins parted ways with him at the end of the season. Not only that, but Minnesota cleaned house and let go of Popkins' entire staff in an effort to shake thigns up and hopefully turn an offense that struggled down the stretch around.

Minnesota moved quickly to replace Popkins, hiring Matt Borgschulte to be the team's new hitting coach. Popkins also didn't waste time finding work, as he's already found a new job less than a month after being let go.

Toronto Blue Jays hire former Minnesota Twins hitting coach David Popkins

On Monday the Toronto Blue Jays announced they had hired Popkins to be the team's new hitting coach.

It's a nice coda on a story that didn't have such a positive ending in Minnesota. While things didn't work out for him with the Twins, Popkins has a chance to bounce back and re-establish himself with the Blue Jays.

There's a decent chance he does that. For as bad as things went toward the end of his tenure in Minnesota, Popkins managed to get more than a few things right. The Twins ended up in the Top 10 for in runs scored last season and the offense was buzzing over the summer. Popkins oversaw a historic hitting streak from Jose Miranda and the All-Star tear that Carlos Correa went on as well.

Popkins has plenty to work on, too. Minnesota hit .228/.292/.354 and scored 3.6 runs per game over the course of its month-long collapse, which compounded with the struggles the team had last summer seemed to be all the front office needed to see out of Popkins

How much of that was on Twins hitters and how much was on Popkins is an eternal question we all ask ourselves when it comes to the success or failure of a hitting coach. Either way, Popkins has landed on his feet and didn't end up out of work for very long.

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