Minnesota Twins Eliminate Four Pro Scouts Amid Front Office Shift

The Minnesota Twins just made a huge shake-up in their front office, cutting four out of five members from their pro scouting staff. It’s a move that looks like a major cost-cutting effort, but it’s also a clear sign the franchise is leaning even harder into analytics and video-based evaluations.

For a team dealing with financial headaches, shrinking crowds, and another season without playoff baseball, this decision feels like a turning point. They’re not just trimming payroll—they’re changing how they find and judge talent, maybe for good.

Longtime Scouts Among Those Let Go

Some of the most seasoned baseball minds in the organization are out. Ken Compton spent 39 years in baseball, 15 of those with the Twins, and was a big part of their scouting operation.

John Manuel, who made his mark as editor-in-chief at Baseball America before joining the Twins, was let go too. That’s a lot of baseball history walking out the door.

Decades of Institutional Knowledge Lost

Veteran scouts Keith Stohr and Jose Marzan also got the axe. Both had logged more than 30 years with the Twins in different roles.

All told, the four scouts represent over a century of experience—years spent driving to ballparks, watching games in person, and making gut calls you just can’t get from a spreadsheet.

A Move Toward Video-Driven Evaluation

The team decided to keep only Wesley Wright, who’ll now run pro scouting and rely mostly on video-based evaluations. The shift isn’t just about saving money—it’s a strategy that lines up with what a lot of other MLB teams are doing these days.

Front offices everywhere are turning to analytics and technology, sometimes at the expense of those old-school, in-person scouting trips. It’s a new era, for better or worse.

Years of Reduced Travel Budgets

This transition didn’t happen overnight. The Twins have been tightening travel budgets for scouts for a while now, nudging them to do more remote work.

For teams under financial stress, it’s a way to keep player evaluation going without the cost of flights and hotels, though you do lose some of the personal touch and nuance.

Financial Realities Catching Up

The front office has been under real financial pressure, carrying debts over $430 million. Just last month, the Pohlad family said they’d stopped looking to sell the team.

Instead, they brought in two limited partnership groups who’ll buy at least 20% of the franchise. That’s supposed to ease some of the financial strain, at least in theory.

Cost-Cutting Aligned with Broader MLB Trends

This isn’t just a Twins thing. Across the league, teams are trimming their traditional scouting departments, often pointing to efficiency and new tech as the reason.

Sure, analytics can uncover a lot, but some folks worry teams are trading the human eye for a spreadsheet and missing those intangibles only a seasoned scout can spot.

On-Field Struggles and Declining Attendance

The cuts come at a time when the team’s performance isn’t exactly inspiring. The Twins traded away 10 players before the July 31 deadline, making it pretty clear they weren’t chasing a playoff run.

They’ve now missed the postseason in four of the last five years. That’s a tough sell for fans.

Record-Low Crowds at Target Field

Fan turnout has dropped, with the club on pace for a record-low attendance of 1.76 million at Target Field. Fewer fans in the seats means less money coming in, which only adds to the urgency for the front office to cut costs.

Balancing Analytics and Scouting Tradition

The Twins’ move highlights a big debate in baseball—how much should teams trust data and video over the old ways of scouting? By nearly wiping out their pro scouting staff, the Twins are making a bold bet on analytics and video review.

Risk and Reward in the Digital Era

This approach might streamline costs and provide a ton of quantifiable data. Still, there’s a real risk in ditching in-person evaluations that catch nuances numbers just can’t—like player makeup, adaptability, and instincts during crunch time.

For the Twins, their future probably hinges on whether this gamble pays off.

Today, the Minnesota Twins aren’t the only MLB team making these kinds of changes. But with their financial situation, competitive struggles, and a loyal fan base watching every move, the pressure’s on to make sure this new direction actually works—both on the field and in the stands.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Twins eliminate four-person pro scouting department: Sources