Anyone who though it might be a quiet offseason for the Minnesota Twins has already been proven wrong.
After a historic collapse claimed the team’s near-90 percent chance of making the playoffs, the Twins wasted no time making big moves. Days after the season ended the Twins parted ways with four coaches and announced that Thad Levine was not returning as general manager.
This week saw the most stunning bombshell, as the Pohlad family revealed they’d be putting the team up for sale.
That has by far been the most significant thing to happen this offseason, and that’s before we get to ways the team might improve the roster in free agency and through trades. Minnesota has a bunch of big decisions to make, but figuring out how will replace David Popkins as hitting coach shouldn’t get lost in the fog of everything else happening.
Former Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer could be exactly who the Twins need
Popkins and his entire hitting coach staff was let go at the end of the season, which means the Twins will need to find someone to help rebuild that part of the clubhouse. Down in Atlanta, the Braves made a coaching change as well, firing longtime hitting coach Kevin Seitzer after 10 seasons with the team.
Much like what happened in Minnesota, things trended the wrong direction this past season for the Braves. Expected to be a World Series contender, Atlanta collectively hit .243/.309/.415 and despite an exciting end to the season were in the playoffs for a cup of coffee before going him.
Last year, though, things were much better.
The Braves collectively hit .276/.344/.501 for a league-leading 125 wRC+, and there’s been sustained success over the last decade under Seitzer. No team is immune to ups-and-downs, but the consistency of Atlanta’s offense since 2014, when Seitzer was hired, should be something that sticks out to the Twins over the fact he was fired for a down season this year.
Twins fans know all too well what happens when injuries ravage a roster. Atlanta was eaten alive by the injury bug, with key players like Ronald Acua, Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies all missing time this season.
Minnesota would be gambling that the Braves taking a step back offensively has more to do with the injuries than Seitzer, which seems like a pretty sage assumption. He’s been around a successful team for a decade and helped bring a World Series back to Atlanta, and at least on paper seems like a good candidate.
Even if Seitzer isn’t someone on the Twins radar — which he should be — the conversation emphasizes how much of a priority this hire needs to be in order to make sure things don’t keep trending in the wrong direction.
