Minnesota Twins’ Paul Molitor is outfoxing the field

Few would have pegged the Minnesota Twins to be doing what they are doing this season late in May. With a rookie skipper in Paul Molitor, the absence of Joe Mauer‘s once impactful bat over the last couple seasons and the two prized free agent acquisitions being a 39-year-old outfielder in Torii Hunter as well as a starting pitcher suspended 80 regular season games due to PED use in Ervin Santana, the Twins started the year in the shadow of fellow American League Central counterparts.

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It’s not so much that lots people outside of the Twin Cities area lacked faith or saw potential in this years Twinkies. Their projected outlook became a product of unfortunate surroundings. The defending AL pennant winning Kansas City Royals, aside from losing James Shields, got deeper and better in many areas this past offseason on paper. They also returned their same stellar bullpen from 2014. Then there’s the Detroit Tigers, whose lineup is littered with All-Stars and complements it with a stable rotation headlined by David Price.

The AL Central then looked to be even more busy in 2015 after some moves the Chicago White Sox made, like trading for Jeff Samardzija and signing free agents David Robertson, Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera. Anything the Twins or Cleveland Indians did in the offseason seemed to pale in comparison to the other three teams additions on paper.

As the old adage goes, actions often speak louder than words. Or in baseball’s case, trade negotiations and agreements. The Twins actions have them doing a number of things right so far and finds them right in the thick of an AL Central race. They’re actually ahead of the Tigers in the standings right now, the only club the Twins have a losing record against in 2015.

All these things — and more– is exactly why Molitor is outfoxing and out-managing the competition this season. After putting his club in a position to sweep the Boston Red Sox with a 2-1 win over them on Tuesday night and taking a 2-0 series advantage heading into Wednesday nights finale, the 58-year-old has been anything but green when it comes to managing his ball games.

If it weren’t for earlier struggles against the Tigers — who the Twins are 2-7 against in 2015 — Molitor and his Twins might be leading the division. The only other competition they do not posses a winning record against this year are the rival Royals, whom they’re 3-3 with.

Mauer still might not be hitting for power, but he’s tied for second on the team in RBI with 26 while hitting a respectable .271. Hunter, meanwhile, is aging but still appears to be reliable as ever. His legs might not be a fit for center field anymore, but he’s up to the task of playing right field and is hitting .281 with seven homers and a team best 27 RBI. Second baseman Brian Dozier appears to be on track for a similar success to season to last years 20-20 output.

Pitching wise, Kyle Gibson is not a flashy, power pitching specimen but he looks like he might have ace stuff similar to Dallas Keuchel in Houston. The opposition holds a BAbip of .260 against Gibson and he is great at inducing ground balls as well. In those two categories, the 27-year-old ranks within the top 25 of all Major League starting pitchers, just like Keuchel.

Mike Pelfrey has also been a revelation in his 10th season. A career ERA of 4.49 is being shrunken down with a current mark of 2.77. He moved to 4-1 on the season after limiting the Red Sox to one earned run and five hits over seven strong innings Tuesday evening. Pelfrey might be outdoing himself right now and could be in line for gloomier days ahead, but right now Molitor can’t complain. Closer Glen Perkins also picked up his MLB leading 17th save in the same game and after a bit of a down year in 2014, again looks like one of the premier closers in the AL.

Paul Molitor has done a great job managing his bullpen. The Minnesota Twins are 9-6 in one-run games and 3-1 in extra innings. The fact the club has a losing record against only one of the nine teams they have faced so far on 2015’s schedule reflects well in the front office’s decision to name hometown hero and Hall of Fame inductee Molitor as their new bench boss this offseason. Right now, anyone holding a vote with the BBWAA would be hard pressed to find a better candidate for AL Manager of the Year, who has ignited a winning culture within his dugout and clubhouse.

Next: Twins' Hunter ambitious to eye future high level executive role