Blue Jays Finalize Coaching Staff
The Blue Jays announced their 2025 coaching staff on Monday afternoon. The only previously unreported addition is assistant pitching coach Sam Greene.
The 27-year-old Greene is one of the younger coaches on an MLB staff. This is his first big league coaching work. The Jays noted that he spent the ’24 season working as a senior pitching research specialist. Greene, a Pennsylvania native, pitched collegiately in Canada at Montreal’s McGill University. He has worked for the Jays for four seasons.
Greene joins newly-hired bullpen coach Graham Johnson as assistants to pitching coach Pete Walker. The Jays also shook up the hitting side, bringing in David Popkins to work as lead hitting instructor and tabbing Lou Iannotti as an assistant. The rest of John Schneider’s staff — all of whom are returnees from last season — is as follows: associate manager DeMarlo Hale, bench coach Don Mattingly, first base coach Mark Budzinski, third base coach Carlos Febles, assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense, and mental performance coach John Lannan.
Blue Jays Hire David Popkins As Hitting Coach
The Blue Jays announced today that they have hired David Popkins as their new hitting coach. It was reported a few weeks back that the Jays were parting ways with previous hitting coach Guillermo Martinez.
“David’s ability to game plan and connect with players in different ways is a really exciting addition to our coaching staff,” said manager John Schneider in the club’s press release, relayed by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com on X. “He’s a true expert in all types of hitting information and will help our offensive strategy for each game. We’re looking forward to the instant impact of his relentless work ethic.”
Popkins was the hitting coach of the Twins for the past three years, but his contract ended after 2024 and it was reported a few weeks back that it wouldn’t be renewed, sending him to the open market.
In 2022, the Twins hit a collective .248/.317/.401 for a wRC+ of 106, putting them 10th in the majors. Despite that strong offense, the club finished 78-84 but fared better the following year. In 2023, the team hit .243/.326/.428 for a 108 wRC+, tied for sixth in the majors. That helped them put up a record of 87-75, winning the American League Central. The Twins defeated Popkins’ new club in the Wild Card round, sweeping the Blue Jays two games to none before being defeated by the Astros in the Division Series.
2024 was trending towards being another strong season in Minnesota but the club collapsed in the second half. They were holding a postseason spot for most of the campaign but went 9-18 in September and missed out.
The offense still performed fairly well overall, with a collective line of .246/.315/.411 and a 107 wRC+ that was ninth in the league. The bats did wilt as they club was collapsing, with the Twins hitting .218/.285/.338 for a 78 wRC+ in September, though injuries may have played a role there. Key players like Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner and José Miranda all spent at least part of September on the injured list.
It is always difficult to separate the performances of the players from the coaching staff, but the Twins are coming off three straight seasons of above-average offense with Popkins as their hitting coach.
The Toronto offense has been trending down a bit of late. In 2022, the club hit .264/.329/.431 for a 118 wRC+, second only to the Yankees. Last year, they dropped to a .256/.329/.417 line and 107 wRC+, eighth in the majors. Here in 2024, they were barely above average, with a .241/.313/.389 line and 101 wRC+. The club has decided to make some coaching adjustments that will hopefully turn that trend around, though improving the roster via free agency and trade will be the more important factor.
Twins Part Ways With Four Coaches
Oct. 2: In addition to Popkins, the Twins announced that assistant hitting coaches Rudy Hernandez and Derek Shoman will not return to the staff next season. Infield coach/assistant bench coach Tony Diaz also will not return to next year’s staff. The rest of the group is expected to return.
Oct. 1: The Twins have informed hitting coach David Popkins that he won’t back next season, per a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic. His contract just ended with the conclusion of the 2024 season and will not be renewed.
Popkins has been the club’s hitting coach for the past three years, getting hired prior to the 2022 campaign. The first of those seasons saw the club finish 78-84, though that wasn’t really on the offense. The club hit a collective .248/.317/.401 for a wRC+ of 106, 10th best in the majors. 2023 was more successful, as the club went 87-75 and won the American League Central. Their hitters collectively slashed .243/.326/.428 for a 108 wRC+, tied for sixth in the majors.
For a long time, it seemed like 2024 was going to be another successful campaign for the Twins. They were in playoff position for most of the season but collapsed at the end, going 9-18 in the month of September and missing out on the postseason.
The team was still strong at the plate overall this year, with a line of .246/.315/.411 and a 107 wRC+ that was ninth in the league. That includes a dismal .218/.285/.338 line and 78 wRC+ in September as the club’s season slipped away from them.
It’s always tough to separate the influence of a coach from the performances of the players. Over the course of the three years where Popkins has been the hitting coach, most of the results have been good, though the most recent stretch of play obviously leaves a bad taste. Whether one wants to blame Popkins or not would be a matter of debate. Key players like Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and others missed significant time with injuries this year and were either off the field or perhaps not playing at 100% health during the September swoon. Regardless, it seems the club has decided to go in a different direction for 2025.
Twins Hire David Popkins As Hitting Coach
The Twins have hired David Popkins as their new hitting coach, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Popkins will take over for Edgar Varela, who was reassigned from the position earlier this month.
Popkins has worked in the Dodgers’ minor league system for the last three years, including working this past season as the hitting coach for high-A ball Great Lakes Loons. This represents the highest tier of Popkins’ coaching experience, though as teams have increasingly looked to expand the scope of coaching hires, prior experience on a big league staff or even in the upper minors is no longer the prerequisite it once was.
Popkins also brings a fresher perspective to the mix, as he doesn’t turn 32 years old until next month and isn’t far removed from his own playing days. An undrafted free agent, Popkins caught on with the Cardinals and played in their farm system for three seasons, reaching as high as the Double-A level in 2014. He then went onto play three seasons of independent ball before calling it a wrap on his on-field career.
The Minnesota lineup lacked consistency in 2021, as while hitters combined for a slightly above-average 101 wRC+ (ranking 11th in baseball), the team’s overall .241/.314/.423 left something to be desired. Overall, the Twins still showed plenty of power in finishing fifth in the league in home runs, but finished around the middle of the league in several other offensive categories. Getting more out of Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, and Trevor Larnach could be the top priority on Popkins’ list, though the Twins also have some very dangerous bats in Jorge Polanco, Josh Donaldson, and (when healthy) Byron Buxton.