In a bold and unexpected shift, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced the hiring of former Minnesota Twins hitting coach David Popkins. The 34-year-old, who spent the last three seasons with the Twins,

While the real test won’t begin until players arrive in Dunedin, Fla., for spring training next year, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have found the right person for the job by hiring David Popkins as their newest hitting coach.

The Toronto Blue Jays on Monday announced the hiring of David Popkins as the club’s hitting coach under manager John Schneider. “David’s ability to game plan and connect with players in different ways is a really exciting addition to our coaching staff,

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have hired David Popkins as the team’s new hitting coach. He succeeds Guillermo Martinez in the position. Martinez was let go in the wake of Toronto’s last-place finish in the American League East this past season.

Popkins spent the past three seasons overseeing the Twins' offence, and previously worked for the Dodgers in player development.

The Jays have hired David Popkins to be their new hitting coach. Popkins is 34 and played in the Cardinals system for three seasons but didn’t make it higher than Double-A. He hit .278/.346/.409 with 14 home runs in 256 games in their system.

The Toronto Blue Jays can't make serious changes to their roster until after the World Series ends, but that doesn't mean they are sitting by idly in the early