The Rochester Red Wings will have an entirely new coaching staff for the first time since 2003.
ROCHESTER, NY – The Minnesota Twins will not renew the contracts of Joel Skinner, Stu Cliburn, and Javier Valentin, Twins Director of Minor League Operations Jeremy Zoll has announced.
Skinner was the Rochester manager for the last two seasons, leading the Red Wings to a combined 134-146 record. The Wings broke a record for total numbers of players used in each year, including 74 in 2019. He joined the Minnesota organization in 2018.
Cliburn had been one of the longest tenured minor league coaches in the Twins organization after completing his 27th season in the system in 2019 and seventh with the Red Wings. He served as pitching coach for the Wings from 2016-19 and 2006-08. Cliburn navigated a record number of pitchers used in 2019 and helped the staff lead the International League in earned run average in 2018, a feat that had not been accomplished by a Rochester team since 1976.
Valentin completed his first season as hitting coach in 2019 and aided the team to a franchise-record 174 home runs. Rochester led the league with a .278 batting average, 299 doubles, and 753 RBI in 2019 after finishing last in most offensive categories in 2018. That .278 average is the highest by a Wings team since at least 1979. He was a coach in the Twins system for five seasons.
Minnesota will need to replace Rochester’s manager, hitting coach, and pitching coach for 2020. It will mark the first time that not one of those three positions will return to the Red Wings the following season since the affiliation with the Twins began in 2003.
The 2020 coaching staff will be announced when it is finalized.