Hawkins embracing his new life as a Major League coach

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A baseball lifer, LaTroy Hawkins had already held a wide range of roles over his more than 30 years in professional baseball -- player, front-office adviser and broadcaster foremost among them.

He’s taking on a new one this year, though, as the Twins’ bullpen coach. He’s coached youth teams before, but this is his first time on a Major League coaching staff. MLB.com caught up with him to check on how it’s going.

MLB.com: You’ve coached before, but what is this grind like so far?

Hawkins: The coaching I was doing, that ain’t coaching. No. This is a little different. You’ve got guys making a lot of money. At the big league level, everything changes. Everything is more intensified. Just trying to follow [pitching coach Pete Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez] around and learn the system. It’s not like when I was in the league. It’s different. Much more hands on. Not so much data-driven, but understanding the numbers and being able to apply it. And coaching guys up.

MLB.com: You had had interest in coaching for a while, but how did this specific opportunity come together? Who called whom?

Hawkins: [Manager Derek Shelton] is a friend of mine, so it’s one of those things that if I were ever going to coach, it was going to be under somebody that I trust. And I trust Shelty. When he came up for his press conference, we went to dinner and we talked about it. We have some history together. It was the perfect fit. I think for me, it was time. It was definitely time. I did a few things in the organization, and this was one of the things I hadn’t done. The opportunity presented itself, and you never know. The opportunity probably wouldn’t have presented itself after this. So just trying to get my feet wet and get through Spring Training, man, because after 10 years of coming to Spring Training for two weeks, leaving for three weeks and coming back for a few days, being here every day is a different animal.

MLB.com: Was it difficult to make that commitment? For the next seven or eight months, your life is not your own anymore.

Hawkins: That’s definitely the commitment. Especially after 10 years of doing what I wanted to do, making my own schedule. You’ve got to make sacrifices for things that you want. I made sacrifices when I played, and then I had 10 years where I made my own schedule. I got to go where I wanted to go. Traveled the world and did a lot of things in those 10 years, and for me now, I do value my time, but we’ve got some guys in the bullpen that I think I can definitely help and get them to the next level in their careers.

And working for the Twins, I’m a Twin for life. If I can do anything to help this organization, that’s what I’m going to do.

MLB.com: Part of why you were brought in was to mentor what looked like a young bullpen. How much has your job changed with the recent signings of several veterans? In a sense, those guys can help out.

Hawkins: I’ve definitely got some help, which is pretty cool. But if I hadn’t gotten the help, I was still up for the challenge. I felt like it was definitely something I could do. The thought process, the mentality, coming from a school of “did it,” not coming from a school of “I heard somebody say it.” I did it. So I’ve got some street cred from that. But I do enjoy that I have some help, with Liam [Hendriks] and [Taylor Rogers] and [Andrew] Chafin. That’s huge. But sometimes they need to be kept in line also. And I know that because I was in their shoes. I was that guy. I understand it, and I appreciate it.

MLB.com: Have you thought about where this might lead?

Hawkins: I’m trying to get through Spring Training! You hear me? I’m trying to get through Spring Training, and specifically the first two weeks. (laughs)

MLB.com: OK, fair. Step back to when you took the job. When you made that decision, was it part of broader aspirations within coaching?

Hawkins: I don’t know. I had so much anxiety built up getting ready to be gone for eight months. “It’s like riding a bike!” No, it’s not! It’s not like riding a bike. Leading up to it, I was very, very stressed. Once you get here, you’re fine. But the buildup to get here is what had my stomach in knots. And I still get like that. It’s fine. But once I got here, I’m like, OK.

MLB.com: Is that balance between anxiety and joy tilting as more days go by?

Hawkins: It definitely tilts from day to day. The more I learn, just being around Pete and Luis and all those guys, everybody is giving me something. Everybody is teaching me something. It’s a lot to process. But I’m learning something new every single day. And it’s been very eye opening and satisfying so far.

MLB.com: How is it working with Pete? His experiences are very different from yours.

Hawkins: It’s actually pretty cool. We did a retreat right after TwinsFest where we did a personality test. And we know how to deal with each other. We understand each other’s personalities. And that helps, it pays dividends right away. Pete’s a thinker. He’s going to think it through. And I’m more of a, “Oh, I want to problem-solve right now.” So we play off each other’s strengths.

MLB.com: It seems like Shelty really loves having those kinds of contrasts on his staff. Do you think that was intentional on his part?

Hawkins: He’s the reason why we did it. And it works. I’m enjoying learning from Pete. It’s a different thought process. And I’m sure it’s the same way for him, with my thought processes coming from a player perspective. It’s a good balance. Then you’ve got Luis, who’s coaching and also played. So we’ve got a little bit of both. It’s good.