After dismissing Molly, the Minnesota Twins hire Rocco

The Minnesota Twins made their managerial choice on Wednesday, choosing a coach from the Tampa Bay Rays

After dismissing Paul Molitor, the Minnesota Twins had a tough assignment at hand to replace him. Molitor was a hometown guy who had come home to finish a Hall of Fame playing career and then returned to manage the club. A year after making the playoffs as a Wild Card, the Twins struggled through injuries and were 13 games out of first place.

When the Minnesota Twins hired their new front office with Thad Levine and Derek Falvey, that front office was tasked with keeping a manager that they didn’t choose. After winning the Wild Card with a young team, the front office was compelled to extend Molitor, and when they were given the chance after this season, they chose to pursue a manager of their choice.

The interview process eventually identified four finalists – Derek Shelton, Joe Espada, Rocco Baldelli, and Brandon Hyde. On Thursday, they announced Baldelli got the position.

Baldelli’s credentials

Rocco Baldelli was a highly-touted prospect coming up with Tampa Bay. He was originally the #6 overall selection in 2000 out of high school in Rhode Island. He worked up to the majors in 2003, hitting .289/.326/.416 in his rookie year, with 32 doubles, 8 triples, 11 home runs, and 27 steals.

After a tremendous injury that kept him out for the 2005 season, Baldelli was able to come back for the 2006 season, where he hit .302/.339/.533 with 24 doubles, 6 triples, 16 home runs, and 10 steals in 387 plate appearances. That was really his last gasp, however, as he never again played more than 62 games in the major leagues. He finished with a .278/.323/.443 line over 519 major league games, with 60 home runs and 60 stolen bases.

Since his major league career, he has been part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, specifically getting tutelage under current Rays manager Kevin Cash. Of the four candidates, he was the youngest at just 37 years old.

What Baldelli brings

As the Major League Field Coordinator the last two seasons with the Rays, Baldelli has overseen the Rays field actions, which would include their innovative use of shifts and this season’s innovation with “the opener.”

Baldelli will work with the analytically-minded front office now in place in Minnesota to help the Twins quickly ascend back to playoff contention.

The Minnesota Twins are hoping to use a young roster and additional resources this offseason to find their way back to the playoffs in 2019. Baldelli’s hire is the first step toward that.