TORONTO — Right now, David Popkins is enjoying life with the first-place Toronto Blue Jays and is hopeful for the remaining season to come. But 11 months ago, he was initially shocked when the Minnesota Twins dismissed him after their season-ending collapse, thinking he instead could be part of the team’s long-term plans.

One of four coaches fired, along with general manager Thad Levine, Popkins said Wednesday he’d engaged in extension talks with the Twins during spring training and briefly again in April, believing he would receive a four-year deal. Even though he thought the sides had momentum, a contract wasn’t finalized.

Popkins was fired Oct. 1.

With the team citing the need for more consistency after an injury-laden offense disintegrated over the final quarter of the season, Popkins and assistant hitting coaches Derek Shomon and Rudy Hernandez, as well as assistant bench/infield coach Tony Diaz, were let go.

Within hours of his dismissal, three teams contacted Popkins to interview him for their hitting coach vacancies. Toronto hired Popkins on Oct. 21 and couldn’t be happier with its decision, as its previously underachieving offense is a driving force behind a surprising season north of the border.

“We had kind of agreed I was going to be extended for several years,” Popkins said. “I thought that was already agreed upon. When it happened, I was blindsided. There was initial shock. But as soon as you get those calls from other teams, you feel the body of work was noticed and appreciated, and you forget about it pretty quick. … I love where I’m at.”

In September, the Twins found themselves in a less desirable position as the club’s bats disappeared for long stretches. Playing without injured stars Carlos Correa for two months and Byron Buxton for one, and with several young hitters underperforming, the Twins scored three or fewer runs 20 times in 39 games.

Minnesota ranked 23rd of 30 teams in runs scored down the stretch and 24th in wRC+, a significant drop-off from when it was sixth or better in both categories over the first three-quarters of the season.

Popkins thought the team would look at his overall body of work and he’d be retained. In his three seasons with the Twins, including two in which injuries depleted the roster in September, they ranked eighth in wRC+ and 13th in runs scored.

But Popkins and the hitting group were all dismissed two days after the season ended. When asked for clarification on contract negotiations between Popkins and the Twins, a club official said the team doesn’t discuss the contract status of its nonuniformed personnel.

“We’ve got to figure out what’s the right intersection between utilizing some of (the new) information — and some ways we need to be focused on approach things that are a little bit more traditional,” Twins president Derek Falvey said in October. “It’s how you find the balance of both.”

Popkins recognizes how poorly the Twins performed at the end of the 2024 season. While Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach continued to hit, and Correa and Buxton picked up where they left off when they returned after lengthy absences, the rest of the group mostly struggled.

Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Edouard Julien, Brooks Lee, Jose Miranda and Royce Lewis produced sub-.650 OPSs in 75 or more plate appearances over the final 39 games, and the Twins struggled to stay afloat as a result.

“You have to make sure you’re developing as many guys as you can,” Popkins said. “What happens is you do, and the guys start to really perform, and everyone believes this is where this guy should be performing all the time. But you don’t realize all the work and time and approach stuff that went into helping those guys get there.

“Eventually, you’re going to reach some time where you’ve got to adjust, and guys get fatigued, and guys get hurt, and your team is a little lighter, and you’ve got to survive. Unfortunately, up until that final six weeks, we were maybe the fourth-best offense in baseball. Losing two of your key players when guys that were maybe overperforming at the time start to regress to the mean — it was the perfect storm.”

George Springer celebrates scoring a run on a two-RBI double by Addison Barger. Led by Springer’s career resurgence at 35, Toronto’s offense is flourishing. (Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

In joining the Blue Jays, Popkins took over as the hitting voice for a team with a $251.9 million payroll, a group considered to be underachievers for multiple seasons, despite featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer. Led by Springer’s career resurgence at 35, Toronto’s offense is flourishing.

“He’s the exact same way as he was when I talked to him the first time to now,” Springer said of Popkins. “He has a ton of energy. He’s super prepared, always into it, always has something for you. … He understands the players, and I think he understands what guys like and need.”

Entering play Wednesday, the Blue Jays were third in the league in wRC+ and sixth in runs. Even though the pitching staff boasted a 4.22 ERA, Toronto held a four-game lead in the American League East, in large part, because of an offense full of talented hitters.

“He’s obviously getting a lot out of this team and having a ton of success over here,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Pop is a good hitting coach, and these guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

Despite his dismissal, Popkins appreciates the Twins for giving him his start. The Twins hired Popkins during the 2021 offseason after he spent the previous year working as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A hitting coach because they believed he was up on the latest industry trends and capable of breaking down a swing.

Wednesday, Popkins spent time with Baldelli and bench coach Jayce Tingler on the field during and after batting practice.

“I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” Popkins said. “I was young and unproven, and they bet on me. I think I returned that in tenfold in production. We’re good on that.”

Now, Popkins is only looking ahead.

“I love who I’m working with (now), our guys, our players, our culture,” Popkins said. “It’s been a great year so far, and I look forward to keep going and see where we go.”

The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon contributed to this report.

(Top photo: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)