The Toronto Blue Jays named David Popkins the team’s new hitting coach.
Popkins joins the Blue Jays after spending the last three seasons as the hitting coach of the Minnesota Twins. In 2023, Minnesota finished tied for the American League lead in home runs with 233.
“David’s ability to game plan and connect with players in different ways is a really exciting addition to our coaching staff,” said manager John Schneider. “He’s a true expert in all types of hitting information and will help our offensive strategy for each game. We’re looking forward to the instant impact of his relentless work ethic.”
Toronto parted ways with Guillermo Martinez after six seasons with the organization.
Martinez was hired as the club’s hitting coach ahead of the 2019 season, promoted after a year as the minor-league hitting co-ordinator during which he helped groom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, among many others.
Eventually, he helped oversee their transition to the big leagues, too, with the offence being among the best in the game in 2021 and ’22 before taking steps back the past two seasons amid significant personnel changes.
This season, the Blue Jays ranked 23rd in the majors with 671 runs while undergoing a partial teardown. But Guerrero, with whom he worked closely, also had one of the best seasons of his career, batting .323/.396/.544 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs.
— With files from Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.