Paul Molitor (Minnesota Twins)
A three-game sweep of the Angels over the weekend takes some of the sting out of the Twins’ 0-9 start, but the team still has the unwelcome distinction of being tied for the worst record in baseball.
The Twins were a pleasant surprise last year, Paul Molitor‘s first as manager of his former club. Minnesota finished at 83-79, just three games out of the AL’s second Wild Card spot. With the promise of a full season of last year’s breakout rookie Miguel Sano, along with top prospect Byron Buxton, the Twins looked poised to go even further in 2016.
Unfortunately, things have not come together at all in the first two weeks of the season. Buxton and Sano are both hitting below the Mendoza line. Twins batters have posted a .644 OPS, good for just 23rd in the league. The AL Central is a crowded division, but if Molitor can’t get a more respectable level of performance out of his team, he could find himself on the chopping block, even after 2015’s unexpectedly competitive showing.
Next: Fredi Gonzalez