Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton is preparing for his first season with the ball club. The Twins are not expected to contend in 2026, but anything is possible in MLB. Minnesota's new manager has a specific slogan that he believes can help the team during the upcoming campaign. Shelton explained the meaning behind his slogan for the team, "hunt the good," during a recent appearance on MLB Network.

"Hunting the good, our game is based on failure," Shelton said. "... I want our group, everyday when they come in, I want them to think about the good things that are gonna happen. Don't focus on the negative... Let's hunt the good."

Shelton's words should not be overlooked. In most things people do in life, failing seven out of 10 times is not considered successful. In baseball, failing seven out of 10 times could land a hitter in the Hall of Fame. 

A .300 batting average is stellar. Reaching the .400 mark is unheard of in today's game. No one has hit .500.

Baseball is a game of failure. It can certainly become easy to dwell on negative outcomes. After striking out at the plate, an offensive player has to go play the field. The frustrating thoughts after the strikeout can stick with a player through the next few innings. 

Shelton's "hunt the good" advice is the perfect wisdom for a young ball club like the Twins. There is a good chance that the team is going to fail quite often in 2026. There are 162 games played at the MLB level. The best teams win 90-100 of those contests. That's still a lot of losses. 

Meanwhile, the worst teams may lose that amount of games. It can become easy to feel defeated after losing 90 times in one season. Shelton wants his players to focus on the positives. 

Maybe a guy works a count and makes the pitcher sweat on the mound. Perhaps an infielder makes the correct decision on a specific play. Finding the good in a baseball game is of the utmost importance. Sure, there are obvious good things such as hitting a home run. However, not overlooking those aforementioned little positive things will go a long way toward following Shelton's slogan.

Could the Twins upset expectations during the 2026 campaign? As mentioned, anything can happen. It would be surprising to see Minnesota in the postseason, but the roster does feature stars such as Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan who are more than capable of leading the way.

Even if Minnesota doesn't reach the playoffs, the future is bright with Derek Shelton as the manager. He seems to know how to connect with players.