The Twins Don’t Just Need Strategy. They Need Soul

[Parker Hageman]

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

I might be on to something or just on something, but after watching the Twins move on from Rocco Baldelli and considering where the organization goes next, one name keeps circling back in my head.

Torii Hunter.

It’s not just that he’s a recognizable name or that he still has a permanent place in the memories of fans who watched him climb the Metrodome wall. It’s that he brings everything the role seems to require right now: charisma, media savvy, respect from players, a familiarity with both the fan base and the front office, and most importantly, the ability to set the tone in a clubhouse.

Make no mistake, there are qualified internal candidates. Hank Conger has been groomed for a managerial role and understands the organization’s infrastructure. Toby Gardenhire, who has spent years in the system, has the family ties and the respect of those around him. Both could easily maintain continuity and keep the train moving forward.

But Hunter represents something different. He is the kind of entertaining, magnetic figure who could satisfy both the front office’s modern sensibilities and the fan base’s desire for energy and connection.

As Twins Daily’s Nick Nelson asked recently, what’s the actual evidence that Torii Hunter would be a successful managerial candidate beyond, you know, vibes?

To be fair, none of us really know much about any of the candidates, especially ones that have zero track record. Even insiders probably only have a slightly better read on what the Twins want or what specific candidates can provide. What we do know is that Hunter has built a reputation for connecting with players in a way few others can.

In 2024, Royce Lewis credited Hunter as one of his most trusted voices while battling through injuries and the mental grind of early setbacks.

“He simplified the game, because a lot of baseball is overthought and you overdo things a lot,” Lewis told MLB.com in August 2024, when he was slugging .613 with 10 home runs in his injury-shortened season. “For me, I simplify my game, whether it’s the approach [at the plate]—don’t make excuses. ... Learn how to get better at it. Learn not to swing at that pitch and move on. Torii has harnessed me into doing that over and over, and I truly believe in it.”

That is high praise from one of the franchise’s cornerstone players, and it echoes what others have said about Hunter in his post-playing roles.

With the Angels, Hunter served as a special assistant in player development, a mentor whose job was to connect with young players and help them navigate the transition to professional baseball.

“Just be available for players that want to talk, that’s my biggest thing,” Hunter told the Star Tribune last month when describing his role. “I try to help implement the system, or be a sounding board. I’m here to share some of my experience over the years, someone who’s been through some pain of his own, and help them find some solutions.”

Former Angels manager Ron Washington raved about Hunter’s “intelligence” and “championship culture” experience, describing him as a vital influence on a young roster. That sounds awfully familiar to what the Twins could use in 2026.

Now, the Angels are not exactly an organization you want to model. But the bottom line is that Hunter’s strength is working with players. If the Twins’ biggest issue the past two seasons has been a slow cultural fade, his presence would be a positive step toward restoring energy and accountability in the clubhouse.

Let's not also forget his epic post-game dance parties back in 2015. 

And that is what the modern MLB manager really is. They are not the old-school tacticians from the 70s or 80s pulling every lever in the dugout. Most matchups, pinch-hits, and bullpen decisions are mapped out by the front office and support staff long before the first pitch. The modern manager’s real job is to manage people, to maintain culture and keep players pulling in the same direction over a 162-game grind.

That is why Hunter’s lack of traditional managerial experience is not necessarily a strike against him. You look at modern examples like Aaron Boone with the Yankees or Alex Cora with the Red Sox, both former players with name recognition, media fluency, and credibility in the clubhouse. Hunter fits that profile perfectly.

The Twins have had steady, consistent leaders in the dugout such as Tom Kelly, Ron Gardenhire, Paul Molitor, and Rocco Baldelli. But lately, the club has lacked some of the personality and spark that once made them so engaging. Hunter offers that.

If the front office provides him with the right staff, the right players, and the freedom to manage the culture his way, Torii Hunter could be the bridge between data and emotion, the person who ties the analytical and human sides of the game together.

And maybe, just maybe, the spark the Twins need.

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[LeatherAntenna]

Hunter mowing down AJ Pierynznski at the plate that time  is always my iconic image of Hunter.

[Whitey333]

Hunter would be a fine choice.  I really think the Twins need to stay away from the bland internal candidate.  Even though they may be deserving, people like Toby Gardenhire are part of the "problem" not the solution.  The teams lack of player development and basic fundamentals are in part of the issue.  Sending players to the Twins through the farm system has shown the players are not prepared to contribute consistently at the major league level. A new voice is needed for the Twins and I think Torri Hunter would be a fine choice.  Do I think the Twins will hire him?  No.  They will likely go with a much lower level cheaper alternative.

[Blyleven2011]

Good analysis of hunter , when i think of energy that the twins are  lacking  , my mind has  gone back to that 2015 season and the post game energy that hunter brought to the players and dozier following it up after hunter left ...

You have to burn energy to make energy  and the twins players the past few years have just seemed to lack the energy to perform a good game ...

Is torii a good candidate  ? , as good as any with no experience ...

[D.C Twins]

I'm in.... this team need more "rizz" as the kids say.... A LOT more charisma as us old people call it. 

[mikelink45]

I have no idea - at this point with all the coaches that we hire I do not know what to expect - so maybe a cheer leader is the right answer.  But somehow more coaches do not make a better team.  Every athlete we sign was a star at some level so maybe it is a mental hurdle. After seeing the Brewers beat the cubs - hurray with no more star power than we have I think that we have to go back to team efforts, not waiting for one player to carry a team.  The Angels with the Mike Trout legacy could not win, but the Brewers and other teams without the biggest stars do if everyone buys into doing what they are capable of. 

[Old Crow]

If what you say is true and the important on field decisions are totaly controlled by the front office the Twins just fired the wrong person.

[Vanimal46]

It’s difficult, damn near impossible, to build a culture like that when your President of Baseball Ops treats everyone as a row on a spreadsheet. Changing a culture starts at the top. 

A culture change is much needed. The most used word to describe the Twins last season was listless. 

[TNtwins85]

I would agree Hunter should be at the very top of the list. A true leader. Somebody that has the ear of everyone in any room. Not just the locker room. Someone who garners respect around the game. Someone who understands the value of playing hard all the time no matter what. This team lost its edge and Rocco lost the room. I believe Correa poisoned this well. You need leaders that lead by example. Putting in the work everyday and doing what they can everyday. You could tell something switched when Royce started talking about expensive guys and how he needs to be focused on his family until things got bad. Who was the most outspoken? Correa. Who made by far the most money? Correa. Who made the Dior comment? Correa. I think the Correa trade was more than just getting rid of an expensive player on a team going the wrong way. Hunter brings the right kind of leadership into the room.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Good leaders say: "Follow me."  Then they lead by example. Torii Hunter is an excellent leader from everything I have seen and read and heard about him.. Like Tony O. and Rod Carew, when Torii speaks, the young players listen intently. I have seen this at numerous spring trainings. Torii Hunter would be an excellent choice as the next Twins manager.

[Maybebaby]

All in on Tori just sign him and see how it goes.  He always seemed up tempo when playing give him a shot just as the Twins did in his playing days it seemed to work out then why not now?

[terrydactyls]

Hunter would be a great choice.  And then he should hire Nelson Cruz as a bench coach.

[PDX Twin]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

The most used word to describe the Twins last season was listless.

59 minutes ago, TNtwins85 said:

I would agree Hunter should be at the very top of the list.

Do we even have a list if we're listless? :)

Seeing these two sentences one after the other was a curious quirk of language that I found amusing.

[Parfigliano]

Pohlad ownership in place.  Falvey at the top of baseball ops and the glaringly obvious lack of player talent who in their right mind would want to manage this team?

[DJL44]

Managing a bullpen might be the most important job for a modern manager. Why does anyone think Torii Hunter knows how to do that?

[Parfigliano]

57 minutes ago, Maybebaby said:

All in on Tori just sign him and see how it goes.  He always seemed up tempo when playing give him a shot just as the Twins did in his playing days it seemed to work out then why not now?

Falvey would be his boss.

[DuluthRoots]

"Keep the train moving forward"?????

How about a different metaphor.

Maybe "baby steps"?

[Doctor Gast]

Thanks, Parker, I respect & enjoy your analytical expertise. So your insight for the Twins' need for soul strikes more weight. Analytics has its place in baseball, but Twins have gone 100% analytics & have lost its soul. Baseball is played by humans & you can't ignore the human element. Many like to confront me with stats, stating that stats are everything while refusing to recognize the human element.  

Twins had very good coaches but Falvey let them walk. And has hired & promoted inferior personnel who can follow his weird analytics. Tingler has failed as bench coach, Conger has failed as catching coach, 1B coach & assistant bench coach, Watkins has failed as a coach & Gardenhire has been a yes-man for Falvey & Saints have been terrible. These guys should be fired much less be considered for the manager job. (I'd be willing to give Gardy a chance to stay w/o Falvey's interference).

There has been a big hole for someone who can come in & be that club culture leader & the best one who can do that is Tori Hunter, who has been loved by everybody that he's had contact with. Tori has baseball smarts & fundamentals, a good friend of Washington, who's famous for that. Twins' players seem to be playing w/o soul & confused. Tori can simplify & straighten out these confused players that Falvey has tried to indoctrinate.

It has hurt me so to see so many of our beloved former Twins' players like Hunter, J Santana, Cruz & Guardado on other teams' staff.  Why is that so? Can anybody tell me? There seems to be a rift between them & the organization. Is it because Falvey doesn't like their advice?

Many experienced managers won't want to come here because of the uncertain ownership, reset & lock-out. So Tori makes a lot of sense. His charisma. baseball knowledge, & the right balance of analytics makes Hunter a good choice. Anything lacking a bench coach can supplement. And Falvey keep your nose out of his business

[joefish]

Rocco managed data. Used the players according according to data. No personality required

 Enthusiasm isn't measured. 

Gotta manage and cultivate.

[Squirrel]

4 hours ago, LeatherAntenna said:

Hunter mowing down AJ Pierynznski at the plate that time  is always my iconic image of Hunter.

That wasn’t AJ. AJ didn’t join the White Sox until 2005. That incident happened in 2004 and Hunter plowed over catcher Jaime Burke.

[Squirrel]

Hasn’t Hunter moved on from the Twins? Doesn’t he have a job with the Angels? Wouldn’t be surprised, now that Washington is out, the Angels offer him the manager job there. Aren’t those the rumors?

[USAFChief]

"And that is what the modern MLB manager really is. They are not the old-school tacticians from the 70s or 80s pulling every lever in the dugout. Most matchups, pinch-hits, and bullpen decisions are mapped out by the front office and support staff long before the first pitch."

 

Nonconcur. Strongly.

Mapping out bullpen usage (for example) before the first pitch is analytics gone bizarro-world.

Good managers have lots of information before the game starts, but use their experience combined with situational awareness and smarts to make real time decisions. 

I hope to god we can get away from this idiotic idea that a baseball game can be planned out in advance. It's one of the reasons baldelli was so routinely outmanaged by actual managers.

I don't know if Hunter would be a good manager. I'm not optimistic. But I absolutely DO believe he'd be resistant to the idea you can make bullpen decisions at noon for a 7 PM game, or preplan pinch hitters simply based on handedness. Or decide a starter will pitch twice through a lineup no matter his actual performance.

And good on him if that's the case.

 

[bean5302]

Who to hire has to be a question of what can a manager do to add value?

Fundamentals coaching/instruction
Team strategy
Gameday strategy
Personnel management

https://www.si.com/mlb/twins/minnesota-twins-news/torii-hunter-wants-to-manage-and-the-twins-should-let-him

I don't know how good Torii Hunter or any other special assistant is at any of those things.

[strumdatjag]

The Twins don’t need a recognizable name.  I’d rather have someone toiling successfully at AA or AAA who has had success with another organization.  
That type of option isn’t as fun to discuss here.    But it’s the right direction.  

[AceWrigley]

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

The most used word to describe the Twins last season was listless. 

The Twins should have hired my wife. That woman could do lists.

[old nurse]

Parker’s assessment sounded real good until he mentioned Boone.  All the talent, all the early exits in the playoffs. 

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, DuluthRoots said:

"Keep the train moving forward"?????

How about a different metaphor.

Maybe "baby steps"?

Better yet remove the person making decisions for how the train is to be operated.

[Pat]

I am afraid they are just going to hire Rocco 2.0 because the front office is a slave to their approach.  Are they going to hire a contrarian? Not likely. 

[The Great Hambino]

I'm sorry, but this is absurd.

This team needs a real manager.  Vibes don't manage a bullpen.

If I told you the Twins wanted a special assistant from the Angels organization (what a great place to learn!) with no actual coaching experience, but his name was Al Schultz, this place would riot.  But because we liked watching him make catches in the Metrodome and he had dance parties in the clubhouse, all of a sudden he's the right guy for the job?  Come on.

Hire a real manager with actual coaching experience.  If Hunter (or Cruz or anyone else of that ilk) wants to be a manager, start looking for bench coaching positions.  If someone thinks they can be a manager, then surely they should have no problem finding a role like that where they can prove it

[Parker Hageman]

10 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

I'm sorry, but this is absurd.

This team needs a real manager.  Vibes don't manage a bullpen.

If I told you the Twins wanted a special assistant from the Angels organization (what a great place to learn!) with no actual coaching experience, but his name was Al Schultz, this place would riot.  But because we liked watching him make catches in the Metrodome and he had dance parties in the clubhouse, all of a sudden he's the right guy for the job?  Come on.

Hire a real manager with actual coaching experience.  If Hunter (or Cruz or anyone else of that ilk) wants to be a manager, start looking for bench coaching positions.  If someone thinks they can be a manager, then surely they should have no problem finding a role like that where they can prove it

Two of the 8 coaches in the divisional series (Boone, Counsell) had zero coaching experience before managing.