FORT MYERS, Fla. — There was a dinner trip with Edouard Julien to the Champ-de-Mars in Montreal. He attended Carlos Correa’s son’s jiu-jitsu class while he was in Houston. He even stayed in Byron Buxton’s guest house after the three-plus hour drive from Atlanta.

As he reacclimated to the Minnesota Twins this offseason, new hitting coach Matt Borgschulte made the rounds to work with several key big-league hitters. Before spending the previous three seasons as co-hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Borgschulte worked as a Twins minor-league coach from 2018-21, giving him familiarity with several players on the roster.

Borgschulte’s insight should help ease what might have been a difficult task of replacing popular hitting coaches after the Twins fired David Popkins, Derek Shomon and Rudy Hernandez in October. But as the current Twins can attest, Borgschulte is already working hard to make the change as seamless as possible.

“It’s an easy transition for a guy like him,” Correa said. “He has no ego. When you have no ego, situations like that don’t bother you, and that’s what makes him truly a great person. You let your ego get in the way, you’re doomed in life. He does a great job of handling everybody, getting to know everybody. He fits right in.”

Early in the process, things appear to be operating smoothly.

From the outset, players said Borgschulte wasn’t stressed about trying to replace a coach in Popkins whom Correa described as the best he’d worked with in the majors. Borgschulte wasn’t going to be anything but himself, a coach dedicated to improving all his players. He also figured the previous experiences working with Jose Miranda, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach, among others, didn’t hurt.

“It’s easier when I already have some familiarity,” Borgschulte said. “People know I’m not a jerk. That helps. Sometimes you never know coming into a new place, you have to start out from scratch. I don’t have to start out from scratch with a majority of the guys, which is great.”

Working with manager Rocco Baldelli to install regimented daily drills, Borgschulte implemented a fundamentals-based batting practice program. The first two rounds are dedicated to hitting the ball the opposite way. The next is focused on line drives. Hitters then choose their own adventure for the final two rounds.

Borgschulte knows Baldelli wants players on the same page when it comes to daily hitting plans and making in-game adjustments, with which the Twins previously struggled. He wants Twins hitters specifically focused on hitting BP pitches thrown down the middle the opposite way to have them better prepared for when the intensity ramps up during games.

“We really have to be disciplined in what we’re trying to do at the plate,” Borgschulte said. “We think that’s just going to allow us to be as adjustable as we can so we can have success in all kinds of different scenarios and situations that might come up.”

Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser spent the offseason working out with Lewis and Larnach in Dallas, noting the two Twins were excited to have their old hitting coach back. When informed how cautiously Borgschulte was approaching the situation, Cowser wasn’t surprised.

“That’s how a lot of hitting coaches should be,” Cowser said. “It shouldn’t be come in and implement things right away. Get a feel for the guys. Obviously, he’s familiar with a lot of these guys over there. But I think it’s important establishing a relationship, and I feel like he does that really well.”

Cowser described Borgschulte as a technician well versed in the mechanical side of hitting. But he also liked Borgschulte’s approach to hitting, knowing “what to worry about and what not to in-game,” he said.

When he made the rounds to see Twins players this offseason, Borgschulte knew he needn’t worry when a snowstorm in Dallas wiped out plans to see Lewis and Larnach hit. He’d worked with both hitters at High-A Fort Myers in 2019 and again at the team’s alternate site in St. Paul during the 2020 season.

Borgschulte emphasized working with several players he wasn’t as familiar with, namely Correa, Buxton and Julien. He did so by traveling to their hometowns, not only to get a sense of the players outside the ballpark but also to give them the same opportunity.

“My main goal is to try to get the best out of every player,” Borgschulte said. “Everyone has people that help them be the best they can possibly be. I just want to be a part of that team and help out as much as possible and use all the resources we can to help them be the best player. That’s kind of how I tried to approach it coming in is getting to know everybody and working on setting up goals on what exactly they want to work on and try to keep everything pointed in that direction.”

Et cetera

• Zebby Matthews struck out five in three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits in a 13-10 loss to the Orioles on Friday. Baldelli described it as close to an ideal performance.

• Baldelli isn’t concerned about an in-camp absence for Griffin Jax, who left the team for the birth of his second child. “He’s also a guy who I don’t think is capable of just taking days off because that’s just how he is,” Baldelli said. “He’ll find a way to get everything done and be there for everything he needs to be there for his family.”

• Matt Wallner continues to hit in the leadoff spot for the Twins in spring, though for now Baldelli is only calling it a concept he’s trying out.

• Rule 5 draft pick Eiberson Castellano surrendered a two-run homer Friday but retired the next five batters he faced, completing two innings. “The staff is really excited about watching him pitch whenever he takes the mound,” Baldelli said. “Everyone is paying attention because they like what they see.”

• Joe Ryan threw two up-downs on a back field Friday with Baldelli in attendance. “The life on the pitches is what makes him who he is,” Baldelli said. “He did exactly what he wanted to. … Optically, he looked very comfortable.”

• Byron Buxton went 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base in the losing effort. Larnach went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.