MINNEAPOLIS — For 2 1/2 months, the Minnesota Twins’ bats have drowned out the noise of all the voices who previously wanted to see the team shed its hitting coaches.
From April 22 through Thursday’s 12-3 victory, the Twins had scored the most runs in baseball (356) and produced the majors’ highest OPS (.785).
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Those figures may seem shocking given a dismal 20-game start that led to critics calling for the heads of hitting coach David Popkins and his assistants, Derek Shomon and Rudy Hernandez.
But with improved health, stars producing at expected levels, warmer weather, year-over-year roster continuity and a staff players believe in, the Twins have solidified themselves as one of baseball’s top offenses. The team’s status is about where Popkins, now in his third season as the team’s hitting coach, expected the club to be and it’s why he didn’t panic when everyone struggled early and the pitchforks again were out in force.
“You realize it’s part of the gig,” Popkins said. “Things are going bad, you’re the guy that takes the blame. Sometimes when you’re good, you get more credit than you deserve. It’s a double-edged sword. It’s something that’s always going to happen with this job. Your goal is to find the information, find the things you need to work on, address it, improve it and then make as many people eat crow as you can.”
If you’re a fan who experienced the team’s 7-13 start, there’s a chance you voiced a complaint or two about Popkins and the hitting group. At the very least, your loud uncle did.
It’s OK, Popkins expects the noise. He works in a results-oriented business and the Twins were abysmal.
Through their first 20 games, the Twins scored an average of 3.4 runs per contest. The team produced the third-fewest runs in baseball (67) and its .609 OPS ranked 29th of 30 teams, sitting a stunning 89 points below the league’s overall average.
Of course, the Twins were without Royce Lewis, Max Kepler and Carlos Correa for significant chunks of time as each suffered injuries. Byron Buxton also struggled to find his footing in the early going, as did veteran Carlos Santana.
Times were tough, but not nearly as difficult as in 2023 when the team’s struggles extended into mid-July. Previous experience allowed Popkins to remain steadfast, as did Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
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“You have to be patient in our game,” Baldelli said. “Things will eventually even out and show you how good of a team you are. … You’ve got to wait and see through and that’s part of the beauty of our game and some of the great parts of our game and also sometimes the frustrating part. But our hitting guys, they have our players ready. They eat, breathe and sleep what they do and the players have great confidence in those guys, as do I.”
𝗔 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗧𝗔 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝟭𝟬 𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗥𝗢𝗪 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔! #MNTwins #MLB pic.twitter.com/KcgDAqxv5B
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) July 6, 2024
Correa has been in Popkins’ corner since he arrived in the Twin Cities in 2022. He cited his hitting coach’s proximity in age (Popkins is 34) as a reason the two easily relate. Shomon also is 34.
“He’s young like us, he played just like us and he understands that sometimes you can have a good swing in the cage, and that’s cool, but if you don’t have an approach in the game, you’re never going to hit,” said Correa, 29. “This year he’s emphasized more on the approach than mechanics and he’s taken his game to another level and you can see it as a team, you can see it the way we’re operating right now, the way we’re putting at-bats together as a team. It’s all because of the plan they have for us.”
Kyle Farmer thinks good health for Correa and Buxton is playing a large role in the team’s outstanding run, as does roster continuity. But he believes one reason for success is the coaching staff doesn’t adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach with hitter’s swings.
“The whole staff does a good job of knowing what type of hitter you are instead of implementing one approach or one swing,” Farmer said. “Everybody has a different swing. Everybody gets to the same spot, but in a different way, and they know how to tell us that. Pop probably watches video all night on hitters. He does a good job of relaying information to us.”
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Popkins thinks he’s improved at streamlining the information he provides over his two-plus seasons as a coach: “The foundation is similar — I think things have become more efficient” he said.
But it’s not as if those first two seasons were unproductive.
Despite a horribly slow start in 2023, one that included multiple team meetings during a dreadful June, the Twins ended the season 10th in runs scored and sixth in wRC+, a stat that accounts for additional factors like ballparks and eras. The Twins finished eighth in wRC+ in 2022 even with an injury-riddled roster, but only 17th in runs.
He’s enjoying the team’s current success as it’s blistered the ball nightly for more than 10 weeks. As good as the Twins have been, a run that has them sixth in runs and tied for sixth in wRC+, he refuses to get too high. Experience tells him a downturn will come soon and the team could go cold for a few weeks, which will have critics again calling for his job.
Instead, he’ll prepare for the next round of punches and focus on providing hitters with the best information he can.
“You can’t speak too soon in this game,” Popkins said. “You’ve got to wait it out. You’ll eat your words. This game will humble you in all aspects. Always approach this game with humility, especially when you have opinions.”
Miranda sets club record, Twins lose
Jose Miranda was phenomenal again Friday night, setting a club record. Twins pitchers weren’t quite as effective.
Miranda went 4-for-4 to establish a club record with hits in 10 straight plate appearances, but Pablo López and two relievers were hit hard and the Houston Astros survived a late Minnesota rally to defeat the Twins 13-12.
Miranda singled, homered, doubled and singled before he was lifted in the ninth inning for a pinch hitter. His third-inning home run tied the score, and the Twins pulled ahead 4-3 in the fifth on Miranda’s RBI double.
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But López allowed three straight singles to start the sixth inning and the bullpen couldn’t hang on to the one-run lead. López surrendered six earned runs in five-plus innings.
Relievers Josh Winder and Kody Funderburk combined to surrender seven runs (six earned) between the seventh and ninth innings.
Miranda bested a record previously held by three Twins: Tony Oliva, Mickey Hatcher and Todd Walker. A streak that began in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s loss with a leadoff single has raised Miranda’s batting average by 30 points to .324.
Even after Miranda was removed, the Twins weren’t done. They scored seven ninth-inning runs and forced Houston closer Josh Hader into the game. Hader took over with the bases loaded and Houston ahead by five, surrendering a grand slam to Correa. But Hader struck out Manny Margot to end it.
Injury updates
Brock Stewart (right shoulder tendinitis) is nearing the start of a rehab assignment after he threw a live batting practice session Friday afternoon at Target Field. Stewart’s fastball touched 96 mph in a 20-pitch session in which he felt like his command improved from a session three days earlier at Triple-A St. Paul. Transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week to make space on the 40-man roster for Brooks Lee, Stewart hasn’t pitched since May 1. But he’s hopeful he’s getting closer. “Through this whole process, I’ve just been telling them, honestly, how I feel each day, and then been going from there,” Stewart said. “So, if it’s another live (BP) in a couple days, if it’s a rehab assignment, cool.” … Baldelli said starting pitcher Chris Paddack is “feeling recharged” as he nears the end of his 15-day stint on the IL. Paddack is on the IL retroactive to June 22, which means he’s eligible to come off and make a start Monday in Chicago, though Baldelli won’t yet say if that’ll be the case. … Reliever Justin Topa has a second bullpen session of the week scheduled for Saturday morning. Out since March, the reliever said his right knee has begun to recover better and he’s encouraged after throwing off the mound Wednesday.
(Photo of David Popkins: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)
