{"id":25404,"date":"2025-11-05T11:04:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/25404\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:04:17","slug":"as-twins-tenure-begins-derek-shelton-hopes-lessons-learned-in-pittsburgh-serve-him-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/25404\/","title":{"rendered":"As Twins tenure begins, Derek Shelton hopes lessons learned in Pittsburgh serve him well"},"content":{"rendered":"

MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 At first, Derek Shelton was bitter and angry about his early-May ouster from the Pittsburgh Pirates after five-plus seasons as the team\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n

After he spent a few weeks stewing, he looked inward.<\/p>\n

Over the next four months, Shelton \u2014 introduced as the 15th manager in Minnesota Twins history on Tuesday afternoon \u2014 tried to determine what went right and wrong in Pittsburgh. Whether it was speaking to former Pirates staff members or trusted friends from a lifetime in baseball, Shelton looked hard at how he operated in case another managing opportunity arose.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Shelton and Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey cited Shelton\u2019s introspective period as a critical reason the club landed on its former bench coach to be the new manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start talking to people you trust about what went well and, more importantly, what you should do differently,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cAfter you do that, you take a ton of notes, and then you start to reflect. I honestly believe the reflection period is probably the reason that I\u2019m in this chair right now. \u2026 It gave me a ton of time to reflect on how I can be a better leader moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to an audience loaded with team Hall of Famers Tom Kelly, Kent Hrbek, Justin Morneau and Corey Koskie and longtime pitchers LaTroy Hawkins and Glen Perkins, Shelton emphasized his appreciation for an organization where he spent the 2018-19 seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really means a ton to me that you\u2019re here. \u2026 It is rare,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Shelton said he planned to focus on fundamentals, a detail-oriented approach and mentioned how much the team\u2019s aggressive style on the bases late in the season stood out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no detail that is too small.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier today, the #MNTwins<\/a> introduced Derek Shelton as the 15th manager in club history. pic.twitter.com\/qSjcNvf9YT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) November 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Shelton isn\u2019t identifying 2026 as a rebuild, despite taking over a group that got a lot greener after 10 Twins were traded in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to develop young players,\u201d he said, \u201cand I think we have good, young players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without divulging details of a discussion surrounding the team\u2019s direction, Shelton said he received the transparency he desired from Twins executive chair Joe Pohlad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the answers that made me really want this job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Falvey said a series of intense interview sessions with Shelton elicited the answers he wanted to hear from the team\u2019s next manager. Falvey said the process was streamlined because he already knew the candidate well, citing their familiarity working together in Cleveland, when Shelton was the hitting coach, and again in Minnesota.\u00a0 Because they didn\u2019t have to get to know one another, the pair focused on Shelton\u2019s time in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cShelty and I talked about some of the real challenges that he had in Pittsburgh, very specific challenges, whether those were with players or staff or with the front office,\u201d Falvey said. \u201cI was able to actually hit him on some of those things and say, \u2018How would you handle that differently? Because I know how you handled it then. I know what you were frustrated by.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What Falvey learned is that Shelton spent his first summer at home since the end of his playing career thinking long and hard about how he\u2019d operate if he were given a second chance. Their discussion led Falvey to recall how his longtime mentor, Terry Francona, always spoke about his failed tenure as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and how it better prepared him to take over in Boston four years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople that spend time reflecting on what they would do differently, I think give themselves a much better chance to learn from that experience,\u201d Falvey said. \u201cHe gave very specific examples of things he would have done and would have handled differently, and I think that was a real strength of his in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelton didn\u2019t shy away from questions about the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh. In five-plus seasons, the Pirates lost 100 games twice and never won more than 76 contests. During that period, several talented young players failed to develop. When the team got off to a 12-26 start this season, Shelton, whose teams went 306-440, was fired.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably the right time,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cThe ability to talk to people I was around and get open and honest feedback (helped). And I do think adversity\u00a0is the greatest teacher we probably can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

While acknowledging it initially irked him, Shelton, who spent part of the summer working on MLB Network\u2019s Loud Outs radio show, said he understood why the Pirates decided to move on.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably the most important thing is, you have to have conversations, and then you have to have the follow-up conversations,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cBecause what is heard, what is said, and how it\u2019s retained, sometimes loses its place, and because of that, you don\u2019t end up getting the best out of the situation or the player.\u201d<\/p>\n

With several players still early in their careers, and more to come, the Twins trust the lessons Shelton learned will benefit them in his second go-round.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn anything you do, you have life experiences, you move forward,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cWhen I left here, I thought I was really prepared to manage because I\u2019d been given a lot of responsibility. But you\u2019re never ready until you sit in the chair. You\u2019re never ready until different things come your way. I think those experiences are what help build you moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n