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Most of the attention surrounding the Twins’ renewed coaching staff went to the refreshed hitting group led by new hitting coach Matt Borgschulte, who was later joined by Rayden Sierra and Trevor Amicone, to replace the entire group with which Minnesota parted ways following its disappointing finish to the 2024 season.
But in announcing the full Major League coaching staff for the ‘25 season behind manager Rocco Baldelli, the Twins had a handful of secondary reasons for some of the decisions they made beyond the refresh of the hitting group -- all of which they feel are meaningful and thought-out ways in which the puzzle pieces fit together.
Here’s a look at their thought process:
Conger to assistant bench coach makes a natural fit
The Twins are said to have jokingly made a toast to Hank Conger -- formerly their catching and first-base coach -- following the conclusion of the ’24 season, because they were, frankly, relieved that he’d even gotten to that point.
If you noticed Conger walking gingerly to and from his post in the first-base coach’s box over the last year-plus, it’s because he’s been managing a flareup of gout that has pained him. General manager Jeremy Zoll said it “looked a little dicey” at points throughout the season, with the Twins perhaps looking for ways to get Conger off his feet a bit.
Though that’s not the only reason Conger is now the assistant bench coach. Far from it.
“I think there's a lot of natural things that make sense there,” Zoll said. “The way that he's been curious and growing the input that Rocco seeks from him in partnership with bench coach [Jayce Tingler], that made this a really easy call.”
With Conger’s coaching star on the rise, this move to get him back to the dugout also makes sense in that as the catching coach, he was heavily involved in game planning with pitchers and catchers before games. But he was then unable to help with in-game adjustments based on feedback from his catchers because he’d be in the first-base coach’s box while those conversations occurred.
This helps get Conger into those conversations, where his opinion is valued.
The Twins maintain two Latino coaches on their staff
Tingler is fluent in Spanish. The Twins have always been cognizant of the diversity of their coaching staff -- and that’s something they maintained with the additions of Sierra and new first-base and infield coach Ramon Borrego.
With the departures of Tony Diaz and Rudy Hernandez, the elevation of two new Spanish-speaking coaches (Sierra from Minor League assistant hitting coordinator and Borrego from Double-A Wichita manager) helps them maintain their numbers in that regard, with Sierra giving Minnesota a Dominican coach and Borrego another Venezuelan coach.
“There's a lot of benefit we've found in making sure we have all of those voices that can connect with each of the players from different backgrounds,” president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey said.
Borrego will be a natural fit with this clubhouse
Borrego has been a coach in the Twins’ organization for 21 years, meaning he’s worked with just about every homegrown player who has progressed up the system’s ranks, and he has often been cited by many of those young players as one of the most enjoyable and rewarding managers they worked with.
“He's been with the Twins forever, and it just felt like a constant to know him as a Minor League manager, and someone that, when I was in the farm director role, [I] was able to really lean on for his expertise and his ability to mentor our young players,” Zoll said. “He still has close relationships with so many.”
Now, Borrego will get his first shot in a big league clubhouse -- where he’ll join many of those youngsters, many of whom will enter pivotal seasons for their development and future. Baldelli said at the onset of the offseason that the establishment of a new infield protocol and regimen would be a big priority, and that will also fall on Borrego.
“I think the highest compliment people can pay toward Ramon is how many say he was their favorite manager and loved playing for him,” Zoll said.