Twins fans shouldn't worry about Derek Shelton's poor managerial record with Pirates
The Twins' new manager, Derek Shelton, became the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2019-20 offseason after spending two seasons as Minnesota's bench coach under Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. Shelton's tenure with Pittsburgh didn't go well, as he was fired in mid-May of this year after the Pirates began the season 12-26. Overall, Shelton's win-loss record with the Pirates was an awful 306-440 (.410). However, it isn't Shelton's fault the Pirates failed to make a postseason run during his tenure as manager. It's the team's owners and the front office's fault.
Even though Shelton had the honor of managing the best pitcher in the world, Paul Skenes, the new Twins manager wasn't provided with many competent major leaguers for his roster. In Shelton's six seasons (although he barely had his job during his sixth) serving as Pittsburgh's manager, the Pirates' total payroll never once ranked above No. 27 among Major League Baseball teams. Shelton was just made the scapegoat of the Pirates' non-ideal situation, similar to how the Twins fired Rocco Baldelli after cutting payroll. Therefore, Twins fans shouldn't be concerned with how Shelton's tenure with the Pirates went.
Now, that's not to say that the Twins' decision to hire Shelton wasn't uninspiring. Rather than bringing on someone younger who hasn't been part of the organization in a while, like Nick Punto or Ryan Flaherty, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey hired someone who has worked for him in the past. Shelton is well respected, but some fans get the idea that he is just another version of Baldelli, especially considering he used to work under Baldelli. Many fans wanted a manager who would challenge the front office's decisions if he disagreed with them, and they don't think Shelton fits that mold. But who's to say he doesn't?
Fans need to give Shelton a chance before deciding whether or not he is the right man for the job. Yes, he was likely hired in large part due to his familiarity, but he is also known for his culture-building skills as a manager. If the Pohlads are able/willing to increase payroll this offseason with the addition of the minority investors, Shelton very well could be managing a competitive team in 2026.