ORLANDO — Derek Shelton is very familiar with Byron Buxton from the two seasons he spent as the Twins’ bench coach.
Since he left Minnesota following the 2019 season to take over as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two had seen each other from time to time. But the man who walked into the Jacksonville, Fla., restaurant recently to share a meal with the new Twins manager was a much different version of himself.
“When he walked in the restaurant, the presence that he has, like, that’s a superstar,” Shelton said. “I got goosebumps when he walked in because this is a guy, this is a Minnesota Twin, this is what you want to build around and do. … (It’s) like seeing one of your kids after they come home from college and you’re like, ‘Damn, that’s what it looks like.’”
Shelton’s visit with Buxton at a meeting point in between their offseason homes — Buxton’s in Georgia, Shelton’s in Florida — was one piece of his process to acquaint himself with his new team.
He also visited third baseman Royce Lewis in Texas where the two enjoyed barbecue. On a recent Thanksgiving trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, he caught up with catcher Ryan Jeffers. Plans to go visit Joe Ryan were scrapped due to the impending arrival of Ryan’s first child, Rowan, who was born last month. A visit to Pablo López, who also makes his offseason home in Florida, is in the works.
Everyone else, Shelton said, he’s connected with by phone and plans to see next month at TwinsFest.
“You want to introduce yourself to guys but you also — it’s their offseason,” Shelton said. “I realize I’m excited because I wasn’t doing anything for four months (after being fired by the Pirates), but they were doing things. I think the process there is generally just introduction, giving them the opportunity to ask questions … and giving them an outline of what our expectations are going to be.”
Borgschulte lands with Nationals
Former Twins hitting coach Matt Borgschulte became the latest from manager Rocco Baldelli’s 2025 staff to latch on with a new team, hired by the Washington Nationals to fill the same role. Borgschulte was the Twins’ hitting coach last season but was not brought back after Baldelli was fired. He previously served in the same capacity for the Baltimore Orioles.
Other coaches from last year’s staff who have found new jobs around the league include Jayce Tingler (Giants), Hank Conger (Orioles), Colby Suggs (Rangers) and Tommy Watkins (Braves).
Briefly
MLB’s draft lottery will take place on Tuesday evening. The Twins have the second-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick (22.18 percent) behind the division-rival Chicago White Sox. The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues last year but two of the teams of the teams behind them in the standings were ineligible for a lottery pick. The draft will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on MLB Network.
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