Since returning to the organization in 2017, Hawkins has become one of the most respected voices in the Twins’ player development system.

He’s worked closely with pitchers in the upper minors and has a deep understanding of how the organization operates, both on the field and behind the scenes. When he coached the USA Baseball 18U national team in 2023, he got an even better sense of how today’s young pitchers think and train. He’s comfortable with modern analytics, but he’s also one of the few people who can still bridge the gap between data and humanity.

“Throwing 100 miles an hour, RPMs and vertical break—we’re so caught up in them,” Hawkins said. “We forget there’s a human element to it, the mental part of the game.”

That mindset is precisely what the Twins bullpen could use. The organization’s pitching infrastructure is strong, but even the best analytics department can’t account for what’s going on in a player’s head. Hawkins has lived that side of the game.

He knows the pressure of a bases-loaded jam in Yankee Stadium, the grind of a long season, and the toll it takes on a player’s confidence.

He believes that part of coaching is helping players navigate those challenges, just as much as refining their mechanics.

“My value wasn’t in teaching guys how to throw two-seam fastballs or sliders or a curveball or a changeup,” Hawkins said. “My value was in teaching the young guys from the neck up.”

From Struggling Starter to Bullpen Mainstay

Hawkins’s credibility comes not just from his longevity, but from his evolution. When he debuted with the Twins in 1995, he was expected to be a key part of the rotation.

The results, however, didn’t match the expectations. Over five seasons as a starter, Hawkins posted an ERA north of 6.00 (79 ERA+) and struggled to find consistency. Many players in that situation fade out of the league entirely. Hawkins, instead, found reinvention.

The move to the bullpen in the early 2000s changed everything.

Freed from the demands of starting every fifth day, Hawkins was able to focus on his strengths: a lively fastball, sharp command, and a calm presence in pressure moments. He went on to pitch for more than a decade after that transition, logging over 1,000 career appearances and earning the trust of managers across the league.

That transformation is precisely the kind of example the Twins could use right now. With several pitchers in the organization, including some who have struggled to stick as starters, a voice like Hawkins could help them embrace new roles without seeing it as a step backward.

He understands how difficult that transition can be mentally, and how it can ultimately extend a career rather than shorten it.

A Perfect Fit for a New Era

The Twins have prided themselves on developing arms through technology, but the next step might be finding ways to connect that technology with the human side of the game.

Hawkins embodies that balance. His influence has already helped young pitchers throughout the system feel more confident, more accountable, and more connected to what it means to be a professional.

He’s also made it clear that he wants to stay with the organization that drafted him back in 1991. “Twin for life” isn’t just a slogan for Hawkins. It’s a belief. And if the right opportunity opens up soon, he’s ready to take it.

For the Twins, that opportunity may have arrived. A bullpen coach with Hawkins’s blend of empathy, experience, and organizational familiarity could be the missing link between development and execution. After all, it’s not every day that a team has the chance to add a coach who’s both fluent in modern metrics and fluent in the human side of baseball.

Hawkins has spent years helping Twins pitchers find their way. Now, the Twins have a chance to let him do it from the dugout (or bullpen).