The Minnesota Twins today announced that they have named Derek Shelton the 15th manager in club history. This marks the second major league managerial post for the Twins’ former bench coach, after he led the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020-25.
“Derek brings a tremendous amount of experience from his many years coaching and managing at the Major League level,” Twins President, Baseball & Business Operations Derek Falvey said. “He cares deeply about this community and our fans, and he’s genuinely driven to take on the challenge of bringing winning baseball back to Minnesota. We’ve seen firsthand the trust and respect he earns from players and how he helps them reach their best. His journey, through both the successes and the tough stretches, has given him real perspective as a leader. That balance and his connection to what this place means to people will serve our players and staff well as we work to build something lasting for our fans and for Minnesota.”
Shelton, 55, returns to Minnesota for his 30th season as a manager, coach or member of a front office in professional baseball and 21st year as a manager or coach at the major league level. He is the first Twins managerial hire with prior major league managing experience since Gene Mauch (1976-80) and just the third Twins skipper with prior MLB managerial experience, joining Mauch and Bill Rigney (1970-72). Shelton was named the 41st skipper in Pittsburgh history in November 2019 and posted a 306-440 (.410) record as Pirates manager from Opening Day 2020 through May 7, 2025. While with Pittsburgh, Shelton served on the National League coaching staff at the 2023 All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. In 2020, he was a guiding force in the combined efforts of the Pirates, Major League Baseball and the Clemente family to enhance the recognition of Roberto Clemente Day; this culminated in every Pirates player wearing jersey No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day that year, a tradition that continues to this day.
Prior to taking over as Pittsburgh’s manager, Shelton spent two seasons as the Twins’ bench coach from 2018-19, serving under National Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor (2018) and Rocco Baldelli (2019). He was the bench coach on the 2019 “Bomba Squad” that went 101-61, set the MLB single-season home run record (307) and won Minnesota’s first American League Central Division title since 2010. Shelton began his major league coaching career in 2005 with Cleveland, serving as the club’s hitting coach from 2005-09. He spent seven seasons as Tampa Bay’s hitting coach from 2010-16 and was Toronto’s quality control coach in 2017.
Shelton began his professional coaching tenure in 1997 as a coach for the Gulf Coast League Yankees, followed by coaching stints with Single-A Tampa (NYY) in 1998 and Double-A Norwich (NYY) in 1999. He then managed the GCL Yankees from 2000-01 and Single-A Staten Island (NYY) in 2002, and was Cleveland’s minor league hitting coordinator from 2003-05.
The Carbondale, IL native caught four seasons at Southern Illinois University. He spent two seasons from 1992-93 as a catcher and first baseman in the Yankees’ system, reaching Low-A and hitting .341 (42-for-123) with eight doubles, one home run, 19 RBI, 19 walks and 11 runs scored in 46 games. Shelton’s number 8 is retired at his high school (Warren Township High School in Gurnee, IL) and he was inducted into SIU’s Saluki Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Twins will hold a press conference on Tuesday, November 4 at 1:00 p.m. in the Sid Hartman Press Conference Room at Target Field. New manager Derek Shelton; President, Baseball & Business Operations Derek Falvey; and Executive Vice President, General Manager Jeremy Zoll will be made available. Media covering the event are welcome to park in the Twins Lot, located off Twins Way, and enter Target Field through the Champions Club entrance.
(info courtesy of Twins)
