Derek Shelton is already making additions to his staff. The Twins' new manager has brought on LaTroy Hawkins as Minnesota's newest bullpen coach, bringing some hope to fans that an organizational legend can help uplift a pitching staff that needs plenty of work.
Hawkins pitched for nine seasons with the Twins. He began his big league career with this team from 1995-2003, but he has maintained strong relationships within the organization. Hawkins has not only been a special assistant within baseball operations' staff, but he was also on the call for Twins games.
Twins hire LaTroy Hawkins to 2026 coaching staff in first move since Derek Shelton's arrival
Hawkins is 14th all-time in Twins history in pitching appearances with 366. He's also 16th all-time in saves with 44. For his entire 21-season MLB career, Hawkins struck out 983 batters with a 106 ERA+ and 127 saves. He also pitched for the Rockies, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Mets, Orioles, Angels, Giants, Yankees, and Blue Jays.
He'll bring that experience to a bullpen that lost their two best relievers in 2025. With Jhoan Duran and Louis Varland being traded this past season, Shelton and Hawkins will probably have a rough go to begin the 2026 campaign. Let's also not forget Danny Coulombe (1.16 ERA with Twins), Brock Stewart (2.38 ERA with Twins), and Griffin Jax (2.05 FIP with Twins) are also gone after showing promise in 2025.
The Twins had the 26th-worst ERA in the majors last year (4.60), 28th-worst batting average against (.263), and the second-most losses (41). Hopefully Hawkins can ignite some prowess into this bullpen, but his work is cut out for him.
Regardless, the Twins being proactive in their coach hirings is a green flag. They're putting coaches in place so they can then go after adding players. The initial steps are being completed. We'll take it.