If Twins Make a Scapegoat of Rocco Baldelli, Could Hank Conger Be Next in Line for the Job?

[Cody Schoenmann]

Firing a well-respected manager roughly 20 games into the season would be premature. However, if the Minnesota Twins keep losing, the organization could decide a drastic change needs to be made—and the next man up might not be who you'd think.

Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Through 18 games, the Minnesota Twins are off to one of their worst starts in franchise history. Plagued by sloppy defensive play, significant struggles at the plate, and pitchers developing a newfound inability to toss fielded groundballs to first base accurately, the Twins have become one of the majors' most unwatchable clubs. Minnesota has played only 11% of their games, and could rebound from their miserable 6-12 start, similar to what they did after beginning last season 7-13. However, times are dire, and drastic changes could occur if the club doesn't turn around its fortunes quickly. 

After dramatically missing last season's postseason following a dismal 12-27 stretch to conclude their 2024 campaign, Minnesota fired hitting coach David Popkins and his assistants Derek Shomon and Rudy Hernández. Despite hiring Matt Borgschulte as Popkins's successor, the Twins' offense is off to a similarly slow start this season, indicating he and his assistants likely weren't the main problem behind the 2024 club's inability to produce down the stretch. Popkins, Shomon, and Hernández were effectively scapegoated out of Minnesota, and with the team continuing to struggle, manager Rocco Baldelli could be the next Twins personnel member to be relieved of his duties.

Big-league managers have relatively little control over events that occur in games. Their most considerable influence on games is deciding when to pull starting pitchers, which reliever will enter from the bullpen, and whether to ask a bench player to pinch-hit or pinch-run. Given their poor start and utter collapse last season, one could reasonably deem it's time for Baldelli to depart the organization. However, if the organization fired him this early in the year, they would effectively be scapegoating the seventh-year manager.

The club elected to keep him last fall during one of their most catastrophic implosions in franchise history. Nothing that has occurred this spring should have materially changed their view of whether he can get the best out of this team, so if they liked him enough not to fire him in October, they should still like him enough now. Again, if the club continues to slip through the cracks, significant changes like upending the front office, coaching staff, and core of the roster would be justified. However, substantial moves like that would need to occur this summer or fall—not in mid-April. 

Nevertheless, the organization parting ways with Baldelli feels more realistic than ever. If the move were to occur, someone on the coaching staff would need to succeed him as the club's manager. When organizations fire their manager during the season, they often replace the fired skipper with their bench coach. Minnesota's bench coach is Jayce Tingler, though, and he was recently part of a similar situation to what Baldelli could soon become a victim of. 

Tingler was the San Diego Padres' manager during the 2020 and 2021 MLB seasons. Tingler was dismissed after the club finished 79-83 and missed the playoffs. Tingler felt somewhat scapegoated by the Padres. That being the case, he might not want to be the person who benefits from a different organization scapegoating their manager. In fact, he's not ardently pursuing the chance to be a manager again, period. Also, Tingler has been Baldelli's righthand man since joining the organization before the 2022 season. If Baldelli were fired, the organization could view Tingler as being too similar to Baldelli and elect to part ways with him, too.

Thus, the organization could hand the managerial reins over to someone in the dugout with a different voice and perspective. That person could be current assistant bench coach/catching coach Hank Conger. Since joining the Twins before the 2022 season, Conger has become a significant clubhouse presence whom players and fellow coaches admire. He has progressed from first base coach and catcher coach to being promoted to assistant bench coach this past offseason. 

Being a former major-league catcher, Conger continues to coach the position. He has played a significant role in Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez becoming one of the best game-planning catching duos in baseball. There has always been an understanding that catchers are the position players most likely to blossom into managers in their post-playing careers due to being the position player in charge of managing the game from the field. Multiple current big-league managers, such as legends Bruce Bochy and Bob Melvin and reigning AL Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt, reflect this phenomenon. Given what's already been asked of him and how the situation might shift in the near future, Conger could reasonably be the next former catcher to transition into a managerial job—if Minnesota continues their early season slide.

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[Whitey333]

IMO. Most fired managers are used as scapegoats by their organization.  So thus would be nothing new.  I've never been a fan of Baldelli.  I don't think he is a very good manager.  But it's becoming more and more obvious he's only part of the problem.  The Front office must go.

[Linus]

Has Conger managed before?  Probably something to address in an article about managing. 

[Blyleven2011]

Everytime I read something like this it brings me back to when falvey and Levine cleaned house , their words not mine ( we have hired every position with the top professionals in the game ) , what they hired were a bunch of puppets that followed the direction of falvey  , yes Baldelli would be a scapegoat if fired ( and he needs to go ) , but in reality it's falvey that has constructed this fiasco of a team ....

Falvey's plan isn't working , blundering trades haven't helped , he is not the smartest person in the room as he portrays himself to be ...

Falvey hasn't made any significant trades since deadline of 2022 , either he is gun shy of those bad trades or the other 29 general managers Want nothing to do with him ...

Problem is worse with falvey and his plan ( hes been given a high payroll to spend but spends it foolishly ,  ryan had to work with small payroll budgets , had ryan been given higher payrolls would his regime have ended in a total system failure as jim pohlad said ) , maybe , maybe not ...

Falvey has failed to see the big pictures  , yes he did improve our pitching pipeline but has failed in and at the same time to recognize the failing defense and offense  ...

Falvey wouldn't be a scapegoat  , he just needs to go and hopefully a sale of the team goes through cause that's the only way we are going to keep the ship from taking on water and just about to go under  ....

[tony&rodney]

Baldelli is here for 2025. Shift your worries to the weather.

[LambchoP]

This team needs a real shake up. From the manager and trainers, down to the players. Unless the Twins turn the season around, Rocco is done for, which is probably a bit overdue. This off-season needs to be a busy one. Guys like France, Bader, Vasquez and Castro will be gone already. Guys like Larnach and Miranda who haven't panned out need to go. Lots of roster shake up and replacements need to happen. Some will be filled from within probably. Keaschal, Rodriguez, Festa and Mathews. These guys will only get you so far, ownership is going to need to make some smart trades and make some real FA signings, not just last minute bargain bin guys like they're used to. 

[Woof Bronzer]

The defense of a manager who has won a single ALDS game in his 7 years and whose team has quite clearly stopped caring is mind boggling.  "Well respected" by whom?  Certainly not his players, who cannot muster up the respect to run to first or play defense.  

Again - Baldelli has 1/6 the playoff wins as Twins Daily favorite Ron Gardenhire.  He has missed the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years, including 2 historic meltdowns, and is well on his way to making it 4 of the last 5.  "Scapegoat"?  lol.  

[DJL44]

Scapegoat implies that he is performing well and they are looking for someone to blame for their mistakes. Baldelli has not done a good job of preparing his team. They don't even know what to do for their cutoff plays. If he's fired, it will be as deserved as most professional manager firings.

[hitterscount]

Make this happen... can we make it retroactive to  March 28 and take the 3 losses he has cost the team and move them to W column? Cannot happen soon enough IMO.... Although he has finally moved Wallner out of the leadoff spot and gone with the Jax/Duran role the last three games, it's too little too late for me.

[USAFChief]

This article should have been named

"I've spent many words and much effort spinning the tale that Rocco is great because he speaks nerd and likes Phish, and I'm certainly not gonna let any evidence to the contrary change that."

[T.O.]

"Big-league managers have relatively little control over events that occur in games."

Managers can't will events on the field but they set the tone. It's clear that Baldelli does not have the respect of his players even though they apparently like his laid back style, or rather is detachment from the team. He should not be there. We don't know the degree to which the FO pulls his strings but either way the combination of the two clearly has not known how to manage players, especially new players from the minors.

This is one of those area with strong opinions both ways. Managers have little impact or managers set the tone and are ultimately responsible for what happens of the field. I'm in the later camp.
In our current situation the entire organization has been a miserable failure. There is talent there but the organization doesn't know how to nurture it. Everyone, manager to FO, needs to go.
With all the injuries right now there is greatly reduced chance of getting it together and winning. Why delay until the end of the season?

Unfortunately Falvey would never fire the manager as that would be an admission of his failure. That would leave it to the owners. Do they even care at this point? Does the drop off in attendance mean anything to them? Is there any chance of selling the team at this point?

 

[Cody Schoenmann]

7 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

This article should have been named

"I've spent many words and much effort spinning the tale that Rocco is great because he speaks nerd and likes Phish, and I'm certainly not gonna let any evidence to the contrary change that."

Cite five (5) pieces of evidence to the contrary with 150 word annotations in APA format, please.

[Mark G]

As much as I can sense the flak I will get for this, I will risk it and make two points.  One, as others have so admirably stated, he is not a scapegoat.  As they say, if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem, and he is NOT part of the solution.  He has been living off of 2019 for far too long; since the beginning of the 2021 season, through yesterday, he is 326-340 if my public education arithmetic is correct; not a rousing success, and the reasons are multi fold.  I won't rehash all those reasons here.

Two, as I have argued in the past, the manager does too have influence over every aspect of the game, not just the lineup, or when to steal, when to pull a pitcher, etc.  He has the decision making duty of virtually every at bat; when to pitch to a hitter or walk him, where to position his defense, yes, who is going to pitch to him, and even the pitch sequence, if he so desires.  A decision not to do these things is, in and of itself, a decision he has made and choosing not to make these calls is every bit as much control over the game as micro managing.  It is just a personal managing style.  He does none of the things I have listed in this paragraph exceptionally well and it has shown far too often.  

Yes, the FO has to go; the whole leadership, upstairs and on the field, need to go.  But if that were to happen, would you turn it over to the bench coach?  Or would you let the new leadership pick the next manager?  

Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  😉

[Blyleven2011]

44 minutes ago, Mark G said:

As much as I can sense the flak I will get for this, I will risk it and make two points.  One, as others have so admirably stated, he is not a scapegoat.  As they say, if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem, and he is NOT part of the solution.  He has been living off of 2019 for far too long; since the beginning of the 2021 season, through yesterday, he is 326-340 if my public education arithmetic is correct; not a rousing success, and the reasons are multi fold.  I won't rehash all those reasons here.

Two, as I have argued in the past, the manager does too have influence over every aspect of the game, not just the lineup, or when to steal, when to pull a pitcher, etc.  He has the decision making duty of virtually every at bat; when to pitch to a hitter or walk him, where to position his defense, yes, who is going to pitch to him, and even the pitch sequence, if he so desires.  A decision not to do these things is, in and of itself, a decision he has made and choosing not to make these calls is every bit as much control over the game as micro managing.  It is just a personal managing style.  He does none of the things I have listed in this paragraph exceptionally well and it has shown far too often.  

Yes, the FO has to go; the whole leadership, upstairs and on the field, need to go.  But if that were to happen, would you turn it over to the bench coach?  Or would you let the new leadership pick the next manager?  

Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  😉

That was a very good story ...

[Guest]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Baldelli is here for 2025. Shift your worries to the weather.

Club Rocco remains in place....

[tony&rodney]

Maybe a very short explanation .... we can't expect change until the offseason. Why? Others have already explained - $$$.

[jud6312]

I always assumed it would be Toby that would take over when the time came. We love good stories here in Minnesota, and that would be a good story. 

[bean5302]

1. The manager pushes the preparation (maybe H?) plan
2. The manager pushes organization fundamentals
3. The manager creates a lot of the organization's tone
4. The manager is the primary public representative and critic of the players
5. The manager decides how long starters pitch
6. The manager decides how to use the bullpen
7. The manager decides who plays what positions
8. The manager decides who is in the lineup
9. The manager decides the lineup order
10. The manager decides whether or not to use a pinch hitter

The tone, preparation, fundamentals, public perception, player image, who pitches, who hits, who fields. I've never played at the MLB level so I can't say with absolute certainly it's not 100% the opposite of every other industry I've ever worked in, but I can say that lineup of roles and responsibilities (and their business world counterparts) has an enormous impact in the areas I have worked.

[Rufus]

Huh?  this team doesn't understand the fundamentals of the game, plays lousy defense, the pitchers can't throw to first base, they can't run the bases, watch the hitters, they don't follow through on their swings. on and on and this is a well respected manager?  By who?   The Mets announcers were laughing at the Twins Monday night, that is respect?  The whole Twins organization needs to start teaching fundamentals from Fort Meyers on up. Time for a shakeup from the bottom up

[In My La Z boy]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Maybe a very short explanation .... we can't expect change until the offseason. Why? Others have already explained - $$$.

Not sure I follow this? If we still stink by June, no doubt Rocco gets canned and it costs us nothing to replace him with a current salaried employee. I'd pick Toby. It worked in late '86 with TK.  

[bean5302]

Also, fine. If the manager has no influence on the outcomes of the games, I'm willing to accept the role. I'll even do it at a bargain basement price relative to the competition. $500k a year. Hell, even less. I'll do it for $250k!

I can occasionally argue balls and strikes from a lousy vantage point (this is the right of all fans anyway) and kick dirt on the plate to rile up the crowd on occasion.

[DJL44]

If they're looking for a feisty, energetic contrast to Rocco, they could see if Joe Mauer is available to finish out the season for them.

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, In My La Z boy said:

Not sure I follow this? If we still stink by June, no doubt Rocco gets canned and it costs us nothing to replace him with a current salaried employee. I'd pick Toby. It worked in late '86 with TK.  

Not much to follow. Seems evident that Falvey and Baldelli are a team. Falvey has actually stated this on several occasions. When Falvey goes, Baldelli goes. It doesn't matter to me. I'm a sicko Twins fan but not enthused with their style of play. Doubt the Pohlads make a change. I guess we shall see. I'm more interested in how the players respond to their opportunities and how competitive they are by June. It is a long season.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Rocco is not a scapegoat. If you want to argue that his hands are somewhat tied and that the Twins would struggle because of poor roster construction - no matter the manager - I suppose that's reasonable.

But, if want to evaluate his overall resume as Twins' manager, I don't see any compelling reasons for keeping him around - the collapse in 2024 and the lesser discussed collapse in 2022 would have been enough for most managers to get fired.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

With the above said, there's NO CHANCE that Rocco is fired in-season. Only way that happens is if Falvey is also fired in-season and right now, the Pohlad's don't seem overly concerned with how the Twins are playing.

[DJL44]

6 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Not much to follow. Seems evident that Falvey and Baldelli are a team. Falvey has actually stated this on several occasions. When Falvey goes, Baldelli goes. It doesn't matter to me. I'm a sicko Twins fan but not enthused with their style of play. Doubt the Pohlads make a change. I guess we shall see. I'm more interested in how the players respond to their opportunities and how competitive they are by June. It is a long season.

Falvey and Levine were a team, too. If Falvey is given a choice of firing Rocco, or losing his job, he'll fire Rocco.

[In My La Z boy]

1 minute ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

With the above said, there's NO CHANCE that Rocco is fired in-season. Only way that happens is if Falvey is also fired in-season and right now, the Pohlad's don't seem overly concerned with how the Twins are playing.

No Chance. That's a bold statement. I hope you are right because the only way you are right is if we play well. I want to watch good baseball. It is way too early in the season to turn off the game in the 5th. I cannot stand poor execution and sloppy play. That Miranda out at 2B was disgusting. What happened to that kid?

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Falvey is as a big, if not bigger, of a problem as Rocco is. This roster leaves a lot to be desired and it's not entirely the result of the Pohlad's being cheap - Falvey's in a time warp - loves guys with + power, little to no athleticism and below average with the glove - he would've killed it with the Tigers in 1993.

[bean5302]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Falvey and Levine were a team, too. If Falvey is given a choice of firing Rocco, or losing his job, he'll fire Rocco.

I feel pretty strongly Dave St. Peter and Thad Levine were front office cost savings by the Pohlad's.

While I think there's plenty of reason to can Baldelli, I also 100% believe Falvey will scapegoat Rocco for any and all the organizational issues possible. Falvey's failed to back up Baldelli publicly before in regard to TTO and rest days etc. Falvey's CYA techniques are expert level. Honestly, his PR skills are outstanding.

I don't think there's a snowball's chance Baldelli gets a pink slip, though. The Twins are a total organizational mess.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Falvey and Levine were a team, too. If Falvey is given a choice of firing Rocco, or losing his job, he'll fire Rocco.

Sure possible.