The first-year Twins skipper spent just over five years in Pittsburgh before being dismissed early last season.
Derek Shelton spent much of Friday afternoon reflecting on his time in Pittsburgh.
Before the Minnesota Twins opened a three-game series at PNC Park, Shelton returned to the ballpark where he managed for more than five seasons before being dismissed in May of last year. There were familiar faces to catch up with, reporters waiting around his dugout and plenty of questions about what he remembered from his time with the Pirates.
"There are a lot of good feelings," Shelton told reporters Friday, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. "The first opportunity to manage, a lot of friendships, a lot of people that I care about, so there are a lot of good thoughts."
Shelton entered the weekend emphasizing that he had no interest in dwelling on what might have been during his tenure in Pittsburgh.
"I can't live in a speculative world," Shelton told reporters Friday, according to MLB.com's Aiden Stepansky. "You can go back and say if this would happened and if this would have happened, but everything happens for a reason. I'm where I should be."
By the end of the weekend, however, Shelton's return had become less about reflection and more about the reality facing his current club.
The Pirates completed a three-game sweep Sunday with a 9-3 victory over Minnesota, sending the Twins home after one of their most disappointing series of the season.
Minnesota nearly escaped with a victory in Thursday's opener before Bryan Reynolds delivered a walk-off home run in the ninth inning for a 6-5 Pirates win. The Twins then erased a six-run deficit Saturday, only to fall 10-9 after Pittsburgh answered with late runs of its own. Sunday's finale was far less dramatic. The Pirates jumped out early and never looked back, building a 9-0 lead before Brooks Lee's two home runs provided Minnesota's only offense.
The sweep dropped the Twins further from the momentum they had built during last weekend's sweep of Boston, now losers of five straight dating back to the White Sox series.
For Shelton, this season has represented a second chance after Pittsburgh. He spent part of last year working in media before accepting Minnesota's managerial opening, returning to an organization where he previously served as bench coach from 2018-19.
Several players have pointed to Shelton's communication style as one of the strengths he has brought with him.
"There's a certain type of way to deliver blunt-force honesty," said Twins reliever Taylor Rogers, per Nightengale. "I just think people in manager positions have to be good at things like that and Shelty is."
Josh Bell, who played for Shelton in Pittsburgh and now again in Minnesota, echoed a similar sentiment.
"He wants you to feel comfortable," said Bell, per Nightengale. "He wants us to get after it. I think there is a lot more attention to detail in between the lines in the work, just preparation and stuff like that."
Those words of approval prove Shelton may be building something in the Twin Cities, but getting swept while outscored 25-17 in his return makes much of that feel irrelevant at the moment.
The Twins look to turn the page on this rough stretch quickly and get June off on the right foot. They'll start with a return home on Monday for another chance at the surging White Sox. Joe Ryan gets the start for Minnesota, while Chicago has yet to name a starter.
