ESPN.com · Oct 27, 2025
2025 World Series: Meet Blue Jays' under-the-radar mashers
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Four years ago, Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins received a call from Los Angeles Dodgers vice president of player development, Will Rhymes, his boss at the time, with good news: The organization wanted to promote him to a minor league hitting coordinator role. It was an encouraging step forward after one season as hitting coach for the High-A Great Lakes Loons. And it never happened because the Minnesota Twins called him the next day asking to interview him for their hitting coach vacancy with the big league club -- three rungs above the Midwest League. He was 31 years old at the time. He got the job.
"I was pretty shocked," Popkins said.