{"id":117033,"date":"2025-11-06T03:21:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T03:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=117033"},"modified":"2025-11-06T03:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T03:21:02","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-inside-twins-latroy-hawkins-return-could-finally-bring-the-calm-and-control-minnesotas-bullpen-desperately-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=117033","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 INSIDE TWINS: LaTroy Hawkins\u2019 return could finally bring the calm and control Minnesota\u2019s bullpen desperately needs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LaTroy Hawkins Could Be the Steady Hand Twins Bullpen Needs<\/span><\/h3>\n
After years of helping shape the next generation of Twins pitchers, LaTroy Hawkins may finally have the opportunity to guide the group from inside the big-league dugout.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Image courtesy of \u00a9 Lou Capozzola-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When LaTroy Hawkins\u00a0talks about pitching, there\u2019s wisdom that comes from experience. It’s not just the kind that can be measured in spin rates or extension data, but the kind that comes from 21 years in the big leagues\u2014from being on the mound when things go wrong, and from learning how to make them right again.<\/div>\n
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If the Twins are looking to fill their bullpen coach position, Hawkins should be at the top of their list.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Since returning to the organization in 2017, Hawkins has become one of the most respected voices in the Twins\u2019 player development system.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s 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\u2019s young pitchers think and train. He\u2019s comfortable with modern analytics, but he\u2019s also one of the few people who can still bridge the gap between data and humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrowing 100 miles an hour, RPMs and vertical break\u2014we\u2019re so caught up in them,\u201d\u00a0Hawkins said. \u201cWe forget there\u2019s a human element to it, the mental part of the game.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That mindset is precisely what the Twins bullpen could use. The organization\u2019s pitching infrastructure is strong, but even the best analytics department can\u2019t account for what\u2019s going on in a player\u2019s head. Hawkins has lived that side of the game.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n

He believes that part of coaching is helping players navigate those challenges, just as much as refining their mechanics.<\/p>\n

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Do you approve of Twins ownership?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMy value wasn\u2019t in teaching guys how to throw two-seam fastballs or sliders or a curveball or a changeup,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cMy value was in teaching the young guys from the neck up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

From Struggling Starter to Bullpen Mainstay<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hawkins\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The results, however, didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

The move to the bullpen in the early 2000s changed everything.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He understands how difficult that transition can be mentally, and how it can ultimately extend a career rather than shorten it.<\/p>\n

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A Perfect Fit for a New Era<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also made it clear that he wants to stay with the organization that drafted him back in 1991. \u201cTwin for life\u201d isn\u2019t just a slogan for Hawkins. It\u2019s a belief. And if the right opportunity opens up soon, he\u2019s ready to take it.<\/p>\n

For the Twins, that opportunity may have arrived. A bullpen coach with Hawkins\u2019s blend of empathy, experience, and organizational familiarity could be the missing link between development and execution. After all, it\u2019s not every day that a team has the chance to add a coach who\u2019s both fluent in modern metrics and fluent in the human side of baseball.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LaTroy Hawkins Could Be the Steady Hand Twins Bullpen Needs After years of helping shape the next generation of Twins pitchers, LaTroy Hawkins may finally have the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":117034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8 INSIDE TWINS: LaTroy Hawkins\u2019 return could finally bring the calm and control Minnesota\u2019s bullpen desperately needs - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=117033\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8 INSIDE TWINS: LaTroy Hawkins\u2019 return could finally bring the calm and control Minnesota\u2019s bullpen desperately needs - 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