Prankster, dad and son of a ballplayer: Things to know about Twins manager Derek Shelton

The Twins hired Derek Shelton as the 15th manager in team history, with an official announcement made this morning.

Here are a few things to know about the man who is succeeding Rocco Baldelli and taking over a team that was 70-92 this season.

Shelton was born on July 30, 1970, in Carbondale, Ill. A catcher from the time he was young, he played college baseball at Southern Illinois, where he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference player and got a degree in criminal justice.

He played two seasons in Class A for the New York Yankees organization but was sidetracked by an elbow injury, and his playing career ended at age 24.

He started his pro coaching career in 1997 in the Yankees organization.

Shelton and his wife, Alison, have three children: daughters Bella and Gianna and son Jackson. Their offseason home is in Tampa, Fla.

Shelton’s father, Ron, was a former professional baseball player who coached his son at Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Ill.

That Ron Shelton played five minor league seasons, then went on to become a screenwriter and film director. “Bull Durham” was inspired by his minor league career, and he also directed “Tin Cup” and “White Men Can’t Jump.” And he’s married to actress Lolita Davidovich.

Derek Shelton’s dad, Ron, pitched in the minors for two seasons before becoming a teacher and principal. Derek’s mother, Kathy, was also a teacher.

Shelton joined the Twins ahead of the 2018 season as Paul Molitor’s bench coach after six-year stints as hitting coach for Cleveland and Tampa Bay.

In 2017, he was the first quality control coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, a job he said greatly expanded his areas of expertise.

“The job description was fairly fluid. It had a lot of data-based [duties], analytical, dealing with the advance reports,” Shelton told the Star Tribune when he joined Molitor’s staff. “I integrated into the defense more than I ever had before at the major league level [and developed] relationships with the minor leagues, going back and forth with the coordinators [and] the Triple-A staff, in terms of development goals. The job itself was ever-changing.”

The Twins decided not to rehire Molitor following the 2018 season and hired Baldelli. But Shelton was also a candidate for the job, and for the Texas Rangers job, and ended up staying on as Baldelli’s bench coach.

Shelton had been crushed at not getting the Twins job but helped his new boss become the American League Manager of the Year as the Twins won 101 games and set a major league record with 307 home runs.

Then Shelton was hired as Pittsburgh’s manager Nov. 28, 2019, taking over a last-place team after Clint Hurdle was fired.

Baldelli and Shelton taunted each other over the years about being on a list for “baseball’s most handsome manager,” compiled by blogger Craig Calcaterra. Baldelli was routinely rated higher because Shelton failed to keep his beard properly trimmed.

“I’ve stated many times that his greatest strength is his humility,” Shelton said during baseball’s winter meetings in 2019, “but the fact that he was voted the most handsome manager in baseball is an unbelievable honor. I think the Twins should do something about that, like having a Rocco Baldelli handsome night. The promotions team should get on that.”

“Shelty apparently purified himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka,” Baldelli said, a reference to Prince’s 1984 movie, “Purple Rain.” “We’re going to find the video, and we’ll enjoy the video.”

Shelton acknowledged he had “embraced the culture of Lake Minnetonka — accidentally” while trying to grab something that fell out of the boat.

“You know who will never get that video? Rocco Baldelli,” Shelton vowed. “He heard about it, but he will never get the video, because if that video was there, it would be on the scoreboard right now. So he will not get the video.”

When the Pirates started this season 12-26, Shelton was fired. He was the 41st manager in Pittsburgh history, but the team’s low payroll never gave him a chance to win.

“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years. His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “He’s an incredibly smart, curious and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary.”

His final record was 306-440, and he was replaced by bench coach Don Kelly, who got an extension following this season.

Baldelli sent a text Wednesday night that read:

“Shelty is a leader. He’s one of the best baseball people I’ve ever been around. ... Great presence, charisma and sense of humor.

“And he’s a natural when voicing his opinions to the umpires, which I’m sure his players and the fans will appreciate!