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New MN Twins Manager Trying to Go Full Tom Kelly
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- New MN Twins Manager Trying to Go Full Tom Kelly
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Thursday, the Minnesota Twins kicked off their first official practice for pitchers and catchers down in Fort Myers for start of 2026 spring training, with their first full-squad practice scheduled for Monday.
Meanwhile, the Twins' annual exhibition game vs the Minnesota Gophers will be held exactly one week from today, on February 20. The next day, Grapefruit League play begins vs the Boston Red Sox.
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Most Major League managers try to find specific goals and focus points for their team to dial in on during spring training, which oftentimes set the tone for an upcoming season.
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For the seven-years Rocco Baldelli was in charge of the Minnesota Twins' spring training plan, fundamentals were never really on that list of main focuses — a pretty seismic shift from his predecessors, going all the way back to Tom Kelly, a baseball fundamentals god.
Minnesota Twins returning to Tom Kelly era fundamentals?
Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images
As new Twins manager Derek Shelton reminded us through Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune) on Thursday, he was Twins bench coach the last time they switched managers, meaning he served under both Paul Molitor (2018) and Baldelli (2019).
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Thus, nobody witnessed the Twins' sudden shift away from their organizational-wide focus on fundamentals better than their newest manager. Before Rocco arrived on the scene, Minnesota was still using daily, fundamentally-focused spring training schedules that dated all the way back to Tom Kelly
Shelton noted that when he was Paul Molitor's bench coach in 2018 and devised the daily spring training schedule, there were parts of the pitcher's fielding practice that dated to Kelly and remained part of the organization's teaching through the managerial tenures of Ron Gardenhire and Molitor.
For the kids who might not know, Tom Kelly is the greatest manager in Minnesota Twins history — a member of the MN Twins Hall of Fame, and the only skipper in franchise history to win a World Series — of which he won two (1987, 1991).
Tom Kelly must be a pretty convincing guy…
After chatting with Tom for just 15 minutes, Shelton came away so inspired to take Minnesota back to its fundamental roots that the new manager went full Tom Kelly on spring training, making fundamentals the day one focus during the team's first official meetings, and going forward.
Shelton said he spoke with Kelly for 15 minutes and that a large part of it was Kelly giving his thoughts on the fundamental elements of today's games.
"TK's words really resonated with me of how important from the jump it was" to bring it up to players, Shelton said. "Had I planned on that? Probably not. Instituting it at some point, but making sure that it was highlighted from the first meeting, the first conversation, the first practice, yeah, I think that kind of took me over the edge.
"Honestly, I'd be crazy not to take advice that was passionate and heartfelt from someone who loves the Twins, so I took it to heart."
Under Baldelli, fundamentals became lost in the shuffle. As a result, the Twins finished 2025 as one of the worst defensive teams in baseball — finished 29th in DRS (defensive runs saved) and 20th in OAA (outs above average).
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It took until the trade deadline debacle before Rocco finally allowed baserunners to play more aggressively. Up to that point, the Twins were one of the most boring offensive teams in the league.
Derek Shelton brought fundamental receipts
In order to drive his point home on day one of pitchers and catchers officially reporting, Shelton created a 2025 MLB Playoffs lowlight reel that was full of fundamental errors that cost teams a chance at winning the World Series.
There were video clips shown in team meeting that highlighted mistakes costing teams in the postseason. There was a lot of talk about "winning the drill" or "winning the bullpen."
"Little things can determine games," Shelton said. "Over the course of the last few years, we've seen little things determine games at the highest level in October. We wanted to make sure that from Day One that we got back to focusing on those things with really good intent."
If you are a Major League Baseball team running short on high-end talent, a capable payroll and/or owners that actually give a damn… an extreme emphasis on fundamentals and winning around the edges makes sense.
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Soon enough, it sounds like we'll find out if a return to doing things "the Twins way"… is still a winning formula.
Lots of familiar coaches/faces at Minnesota Twins spring training
When the Minnesota Twins announced their coaching staff , it was evident that they were looking to instill new key voices. LaTroy Hawkins played in the big leagues for 21 years and knows the organization well . Grady Sizemore was supposed to be a star , and Toby Gardenhire has been engrained with the fabric of this club.
Beyond just those on the staff though, Minnesota has plenty of key figures back to make their mark. Bert Blyleven wants to work with Bailey Ober . Ryan Pressly rejoined the organization as an advisor . Joe Mauer is often down in Fort Myers, and Paul Molitor has never left the fray . Michael A. Taylor is even back in the mix.
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