Former instrumental Tigers hitting coach just got scooped up by a division rival

If the AL Central ever feels like a never-ending game of musical chairs, the latest song just stopped with a familiar Tigers voice settling in Minneapolis. Keith Beauregard, one of the key architects behind Detroit’s offensive turnaround, is now the Minnesota Twins’ new hitting coach. For them to snag the guy who’s been in the cage with Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter as they finally started looking like the core of a new Tigers era? That hits a little different.

And make no mistake, this move says as much about the Twins’ desperation as it does about Beauregard’s reputation. Minnesota isn’t exactly operating from a position of offensive comfort. They’re cycling through hitting coaches like streaming shows, hoping the next one finally sticks. Beauregard becomes their third lead hitting coach in as many seasons, stepping in for Matt Borgschulte after a brief, uneven run. 

Tigers quietly take a hit as Twins poach key hitting coach from rival dugout

The Twins clearly wanted a new voice, a teacher with a reputation for patience and development. Unfortunately for Tigers fans, that profile describes the guy who’s been helping mold the young hitters Detroit is trying to build around.

Officially, Beauregard replaces Borgschulte after just one full season with the Twins. Borgschulte himself was brought in to replace David Popkins following an ugly offensive slide late in 2024, when the front office decided the lineup’s fade down the stretch couldn’t be ignored. That change was supposed to be the reset. Instead, the Twins now look like a team still searching for an identity at the plate.

The Twins’ recent pattern of hitting coach churn only underscores how calculated this hire is. Popkins oversaw a lineup that hovered in the mid-.240s in team average, and while Borgschulte brought a track record from Baltimore — where he’d been part of a rising offensive group — the Twins’ late-2024 collapse at the plate was pinned as a major factor in yet another reset.

For the Tigers, the move may sting, but it also becomes a test of how strong their overall hitting infrastructure really is. Did Detroit build something sustainable that can withstand losing a key instructor, or did a division rival just siphon off a crucial piece of their rebuild? Either way, the next few seasons in the AL Central just got more personal.