With new hitting coaches, Twins set priorities for their offense

FORT MYERS, FLA. – When Twins players took batting practice during their first full-squad workout Monday, split into groups across two fields, they were reminded about their points of emphasis during their five batting practice rounds.

The first two rounds were focused on hitting the ball in the opposite-field gap. The third round was line drives in the middle of the field.

When manager Rocco Baldelli addressed the team before Monday's workout, he detailed some changes for position players. Players will likely receive more at-bats during spring training. During the season, they expect to take batting practice on the field much more often.

"It's a conversation that me and Rocco have had a couple of times," shortstop Carlos Correa said. "I'm glad we're doing this. It's more of a structured type of workout. I enjoy it. I like it."

Many Twins players rarely hit on the field last season, opting to conduct their pregame work in the batting cages. There are advantages to both settings, but it's one of the priorities that shifted when the Twins replaced all their hitting coaches following the epic collapse in the final six weeks of last season that cost the club a spot in the postseason.

"It'll be a little bit different for some guys, but I think it's going to be something that is going to help us," said Twins hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. "Seeing the ball off the bat is great for the whole team, honestly. You get reads on the bases. Outfielders get balls off the bat reads, too. Then you just get to see the ball flight. You get to have some control and have some focuses in each round on what you're trying to do."

Borgschulte, hired from the Baltimore Orioles, previously worked on the Twins' player development staff. He coached Royce Lewis, Ryan Jeffers, Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach at Class A Fort Myers in 2019, and Miranda again at Class AAA St. Paul in 2021.

A big goal, Baldelli said, is improving at situational hitting. That doesn't mean the Twins will call for more bunts or hit-and-run plays, but they had a below-average offense with a runner on third base and fewer than two outs.

"I'm talking about thinking along with the games, knowing when to do one thing, and knowing when to do another thing," Baldelli said. "Knowing when to shorten up. … You're going to see it in some of their work on the field. You're going to see it in our schedule, what we're going to ask them to do, behind the scenes, in meetings and the things that we preach. But ultimately, the goal is to see it in the game."

The old approach for the Twins was effective, too. It was more individualized, giving players the freedom to conduct pregame work on their own. Most players opted to hit solely in the batting cages. The results were solid: The Twins won the American League Central in 2023, and they finished 10th in the majors in runs scored last year.

Former hitting coaches David Popkins (Toronto Blue Jays) and Derek Shomon (Miami Marlins) quickly landed other big league jobs.

But the Twins are striving to create more consistency with their offense. They had 50 games last year in which they scored two or fewer runs.

"When you do hit on the field, there is a little bit more of an emphasis on moving the ball around the field, not just hitting homers to pull side," Jeffers said. "Homers are great. Homers get you paid. A lot of big games are won by homers. But there are going to be a lot of games where a single through the four-hole is going to score the run when it matters. I think practicing how you hope to play sometimes is good."

Along with the hitters who are familiar with Borgschulte from the minor leagues, the hitting coach visited Correa, Byron Buxton and Edouard Julien at their homes to work with them for a couple of days during the offseason.

Monday marked the first official day for position players, but there are clear priorities for hitters.

"It seems like [Borgschulte] is attacking our weaknesses a lot more and challenging us to get better at those," Lewis said. "When you start hitting those, they come back and they're like we have to throw somewhere else, and it ends up being your strength and you're hitting all year long. It's a lot easier said than done, but that's what he challenged us to do."