Two teams hired new managers in the last few days. Derek Shelton landed the Twins job:
“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 in a statement. “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.”
MLB.com
His hiring also makes it more difficult to use just first names when talking about Twins management.
Shelton never saw the Pirates reach .500, but they did improve every year until 2024, when they posted the same record as 2023. Off to a poor start this season, despite the addition of Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh let Shelton go with the team playing .316 ball.
I do think this is a good hire. The Twins are in rebuilding mode, and Shelton did that part of managing well. He might not be the kind of manager to take a team to the next level, however. He’s another Billy Gardner. At some point the Twins will need another Tom Kelly.
Meanwhile, the Nationals went with youth as they hired 33-year-old Blake Butera:
Butera, who was born Aug. 7, 1992, became the youngest manager in the Major Leagues since Frank Quilici managed the Twins at 33 years, 27 days old in 1972.
This is the first major move for president of baseball operations Paul Toboni since he was hired on Oct. 1.
“I’ve always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role,” said Toboni in a statement. “Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level.
“He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C. We’re so excited to welcome him to the Nationals family.”
MLB.com
I like that Butera comes from the Rays organization. The bullpen proved one of the big problems for the Nationals since the start of 2021. Relievers own a 140-144 record in that time, 5th worst in the majors (while starters can’t win games if they don’t pitch enough, they can lose games with any number of innings). The Rays, in the same period, saw their bullpen go 213-135, a .579 win percentage, seventh best in the majors.
This looks like a move in the right direction as well.