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Toronto Blue Jays Hire New Hitting Coach After Last-Place Finish in 2024

The Blue Jays can't upgrade the roster until deeper into the offseason, but they can work to upgrade the coaching staff.

Brady Farkas

Minnesota Twins hitting coach David Popkins (79) during photo day at Hammond Stadium in 2023.
Minnesota Twins hitting coach David Popkins (79) during photo day at Hammond Stadium in 2023. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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The Toronto Blue Jays can't make serious changes to their roster until after the World Series ends, but that doesn't mean they are sitting by idly in the early stages of the offseason.

On Monday, the Blue Jays announced that they have hired David Popkins as their new hitting coach. He had previously been with the Minnesota Twins.

MLB.com had more on Popkins's career and his previous success with Minnesota:

Popkins, 34, joins the Blue Jays for his fourth season on a Major League coaching staff and will oversee Toronto’s offence. The San Diego native spent the last three seasons as a Hitting Coach for the Minnesota Twins, where in 2023, they finished tied for the American League lead in home runs (233), marking their second-most in franchise history.

During his tenure, the Twins ranked top five in the American League in extra base hits, home runs, OBP, SLG, OPS, average exit velocity, and hard-hit rate.

As a player, Popkins played his college ball at the University of California at Davis. He played three seasons in the minor leagues and was a lifetime .278 hitter. He also played on the independent league circuit for three years, hitting .250. Prior to working with the Twins, he also worked with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With the Blue Jays, Popkins will have the opportunity to work with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is coming off one of the best seasons of any player in the American League. Guerrero Jr., who is likely to finish in the top seven of MVP voting, hit 30 homers and brought in 103.

Beyond that, Popkins will be tasked with helping get Bo Bichette back on track. The former All-Star shortstop hit just .225 with four home runs. He also only played 82 games because of injury. The Jays also feature a bevy of young players like Joey Loperfido, Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz and Will Wagner, who Popkins will hope to help develop.

The Blue Jays went 74-88 this past season, finishing last in the American League East.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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