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Neal: Twins Name Edgar Varela Hitting Coach

Seth Stohs

By Seth Stohs
in Minnesota Twins Talk

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nicksaviking All-Star

nicksaviking

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Posted
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Interesting shuffle, I would have thought they would have promoted Rudy Hernandez from assistant hitting coach and hired someone else as Hernandez's assistant.

 

I'd like Derek Shelton to get a shot at a managerial position, but selfishly I hope we get to keep him for one more season.

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nicksaviking All-Star

nicksaviking

Community Moderator
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In addition, they announced Michael Salazar as their new Head Athletic Trainer... 

 

He announced it on Twitter a week ago.

 

 

I was going to ask what happened to Tony Leo but I see this one from a month and a half ago:

 

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/35250-head-trainer-tony-leo-let-go-after-season/

 

Only three replies to that post so I'm guessing that one somehow flew past most folks without notice.

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BK432 GCL Twins

BK432

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I'd try spelling his name correctly; that could help.

 

Just Googled "Edgar Vareta on hitting", "Edgar Vareta hitting lessons"....no results.

 

He must have a unique approach. Look out AL pitchers.

 

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blindeke Draft Eligible

blindeke

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As always, The Athletic has us covered here: 

 

The organization’s minor-league field coordinator the past two years, Varela, a former minor-league hitting coach and manager, is set to replace James Rowson, who in late October left to become the bench coach of the Miami Marlins. While all of Varela’s experience comes in the minors, the bilingual California native is confident he can relate to Twins hitters and build trust from there.

 

“I strive to connect with people,” Varela said by phone. “This game is hard. Hitting is hard. I have lots of tools in my tool bag. But simplifying it for the player when it comes to competition time I think is the key. It’s hard. Hitting is hard. I don’t want to lose sight of that. These guys are really good. I want to make sure if I have information, how can I do the best job of simplifying a message in regard to the person I’m talking to, whether it’s in Spanish or English?”

 

The Twins have shown before they’re not concerned about their coaching staff having a lack of major-league experience. The 2019 staff featured several first-year major leaguers in pitching coach Wes Johnson and assistant pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

 

The Twins are far more concerned with bringing onboard a coach who is skilled at building relationships and trust and is focused on development. They believe Varela, who worked in Pittsburgh’s farm system from 2008 to 2017, is exactly what they’re looking for to fill the shoes of Rowson, who along with assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez presided over an offense that produced an MLB-record 307 home runs in 2019.

 

https://theathletic.com/1410466/2019/11/25/pressure-is-a-privilege-why-edgar-varela-isnt-worried-about-becoming-bomba-squads-new-hitting-coach/

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Number3 Draft Eligible

Number3

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I'd try spelling his name correctly; that could help.

Good idea.....no luck. Just kidding, of course. We all know that with few exceptions, these coaches are complimentary hires with little impact on actual results. I am sure that Edgar VareLa is a great guy and if the Twins only hit 300 home runs in 2020 we will know who to blame.

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