New Twins manager Derek Shelton, with tall task ahead, says he won’t use the term ‘rebuild’

Derek Shelton officially joined the Twins on Tuesday at Target Field, when the 15th manager in the team’s history met with media members in a news conference attended by former players.

Tom Kelly, who managed the Twins to their only two World Series titles (1987 and 1991) was also there to support the man who replaces Rocco Baldelli.

Shelton said the Twins’ potentially strong starting pitching, young talent and “top level farm system” were big draws for him. He said the transparency from everyone during his interview process, including owner Joe Pohlad, was like “nothing I’ve ever been through.”

The Twins hit an attendance low at Target Field in 2025. So what would Shelton tell the fans?

“Every night when you come to the ballpark, you’ll see a team that competes,” he said. “I’m not using the term ‘rebuild.’ We’re going to develop young players, and we have good young players.

“There are better things ahead. We’re going to build strong relationships and we’re going to have a lot of fun as we move forward. I think people are going to be excited about Twins baseball.”

The 55-year-old Shelton was the Twins bench coach in 2018 under Paul Molitor and 2019 under Baldelli before being hired as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was fired this year, in his sixth season, after the Bucs got off to a slow start.

“At times things in certain places run their course, and I was very fortunate for my time in Pittsburgh, the things I learned in Pittsburgh, but it was a situation where they probably needed a different leader,” he said.

“We were looking for someone who had a ton of skills and a ton of background experience,” Twins President Derek Falvey said. “Shelty has the ability to adapt, the ability to grow ... and be shaped by success and adversity.”

Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll discussed the interview process that narrowed the field to Shelton.

“It’s not just his experience, it’s his deep care for everyone he has around him,” Zoll said. “By the end of the process, it was clear that Shelty was the best leader for us.”

Shelton didn’t give specific details about what kinds of answers he got while interviewing for the job; the Twins had the second-worst record (70-92) in the American League and traded 10 major league players at the deadline.

“What we have to drill down in the minor leagues is the specific things, no matter how small they are, whether we’re running cuts, whether we’re running bunt plays, whether we’re bunting, whether we’re hitting and running — all the factors of the game. ... We can’t assume they know that because they’re really talented,“ he said. “Don’t assume that they know what’s going on, and that’s where the communication comes into play.