The Latest On Minnesota Twins' Managerial Search

[EGFTShaw]

55 minutes ago, ziggy said:

I'd like to see Rowson and Punto on the staff, bench coach or assistant manager, but not manager.

The way things have been the last two years isn't working. A new manager should include a new staff.

I could see Punto ripping off the shirt of opposing players as they round 3rd base starting a bench clearing brawl with Kent Hrbek coming out of the stands to delivering a Bolo Punch while Greg Gagne sneaks in from the dugout to put the Gagne Sleeper on the opposing manager. ;)

 

[Markdumont25]

Not Nick Punto please. Nothing against the man, but if he was a "fan favorite", it certainly wasn't with me. Even in my middle school days I couldn't figure out why Gardy had such a big boy crush on him. There's very few things about middle school I'd want to relive, and Nick Punto is not one of them 

And, knowing next to nothing but wanting to have an opinion anyway, I'd go with Vasquez if I was picking from this group. Cora is a good manager and I think picking a relative outsider is our best bet.

[EGFTShaw]

From @Aaron Gleeman, aka the Singing Gleeman of Minnesota. 😎 in THE Athletic:

"Miranda and Julien are prime examples of the Twins’ inability to develop promising young hitters into quality veteran hitters" Twinkies Mailbag brought to you by the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Hamm's Bear.

This trait, more than anything else - yes even the soft tissue injuries, as irked me beyond anything since Skorts.
How on earth can you take good to even bordering very good players who hit well at all 3 levels and turn
them into the 21st century version of Mario Mendoza?

[LewFordLives]

24 minutes ago, Markdumont25 said:

Not Nick Punto please. Nothing against the man, but if he was a "fan favorite", it certainly wasn't with me. Even in my middle school days I couldn't figure out why Gardy had such a big boy crush on him. There's very few things about middle school I'd want to relive, and Nick Punto is not one of them 

I felt the same way about Punto back in the day. Strange thing though, if you look at his career numbers he would probably be one of the better players on the current Twins team. He could hit his weight and his defense was superb at multiple positions.

[thelanges5]

List from a Matthew Leach post today:

Actual known candidates for the Twins manager job at this point (this is just alphabetical order btw):

Nick Punto
James Rowson
Derek Shelton
Ramón Vázquez
Vance Wilson

[Original_JB]

Does anyone think that the new, apparently silent (for now at least) partners have been or will  be given, any say in the matter? Or are they just a money infusion hoping to make their profit when the team does get sold, somewhere down the line?

[Sjoski]

It's the off season here on TD...and the site is getting entertainingly morbid....almost as good as watching a Twins game... 😀

[DocBauer]

The FO always plays situations like this close to the vest. So all we have, or will get, is speculation until a hiring happens. But some quick opinions:

PUNTO: I'd be very interested in him as a coach. There's just not enough time in a ML FO, or coaching anywhere that tells me he's ready for anything close to being a ML manager. A few years from now might be a different story.

ROWSEN: Very well respected, and he's been around. His actual ties to the Twins is 2yrs. So isn't some nepotism type hire. He would be the MANAGER and NOT a hitting coach. (Though I could see him helping there). What I like about him is who he might want to bring in FOR the hitting coach and assistants. Given control, or at least strong input, he might help solve a major issue plaguing the team for the past couple of years: OFFENSE

SHELTON: He's got a tremendous reputation as a good guy and sound baseball man. Any failure as the Pirates manager should be tempered with "what did you expect" reflection. They have to be considered one of the 5 or 6 worst run franchises. Still, there is something I can't put my finger on that just says he should "come home" to Minnesota as a respected, knowledgeable bench coach.

VAZQUEZ: I really like this idea. He's been around multiple organizations as a player and coach. He's got some experience running teams in the Classic and the Winter Leagues. Never a star player, he forged out a career the "hard way" over multiple years. And while I don't know that being bilingual in of itself is huge, it helps. I think the ability to RELATE to Latin ballplayers goes beyond just speaking Spanish. 

FLAHERTY: He has been on my top 5 list since day one. Again, he's one of those guys who carved out a solid career the "hard way". Those guys always seem to really comprehend the subtleties of the game. He's spent time as a scout, coach, and bench coach. He's young enough to also communicate well with today's players and the changes in the game. 

Of these 5 options...who else might be considered we really don't know...but I'm pretty convinced Vazquez and Flaherty should be the top 2 choices. And I'm really uncertain which way I'd lean at this moment. Both seem to offer some very good qualities. 

I'm not certain I lean in to the "new wave" of managers with little or zero experience. That might work if his staff is REALLY SOLID. But I still like the idea of someone who's had at least a little time in a FO, or on the field coaching, to see a different perspective than as a recent ballplayer. Not saying I'm right, it's just my perspective.

 

[DocBauer]

9 hours ago, CRF said:

I'll be the first to say it...I just don't trust Falvey to make the right choice. 

Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with you here.

Being 100% transparent and honest, there have been things Falvey has done or embraced that I have disagreed with, or strongly questioned. Most, but not all, of those involve certain philosophies in regard to roster choices, AAA roster choices, and other general roster and approach issues.

But the one thing he has been very good at is identifying quality off the field hirings. 

I'm just NOT going to get in to a debate about Rocco, but even as frustrated fans, we can't ignore good things that happened his first few seasons. 

Rowson seemed to go a good job and got stolen away by the Marlins.

Chad Swanson was hired as a catching coach and did a great job with Garver and Jeffers before the Yankees signed him away.

Wes Johnson was hired from the college ranks before leaving for LSU, and then Georgia, but did a great job with the Twins before taking over some of the top programs in college.

Jeremy Hefner was so well regarded as an assistant pitching coach with the Twins, that the uber spending Mets snagged him away for a few years as their primary pitching coach.

There are more examples. If you read small blurbs here and there, there are additional MILB coaches and scouting department personnel that have been poached from the Twins over the past several years.

**I really don't want to talk about dismissing David Popkins and the changes to his staff once joing the Jays that really made a difference.**

My point is, whether you dislike Falvey for his organizational approach, or just dislike some moves he's made, he ACTUALLY has a really good history of finding good people to fill roles.

WHOEVER is hired as the next Twins manager, he's going to have to deal with any failings some of us believe Falvey might have. And some of those failings are going to be due to the Pohlads. But I do believe it's disingenuous to believe Falvey can't hire a solid next manager. The one thing he actually has proven to do is hire good baseball people in various roles.

 

[The Great Hambino]

This is the player more than any other where I think it might make sense to keep around for opening day, but intend to trade at the deadline.   With the way his season ended, I think he has a chance to recoup some trade value with a strong first half.  Plus, if by some miracle they're in legitimate contention at the deadline, they can keep him.   Part of the argument for trading Lopez/Ryan now is that their trade value drops with each passing trade window.  I don't think that applies to Ober, certainly not as much anyway

[Markdumont25]

2 hours ago, LewFordLives said:

I felt the same way about Punto back in the day. Strange thing though, if you look at his career numbers he would probably be one of the better players on the current Twins team. He could hit his weight and his defense was superb at multiple positions.

I looked it up before I posted just to make sure I wasn't going to make a fool of myself... He had a 15 WAR career, so a bit over 1 a year on average. Seems about right. I think he probably got the most out of his ability level, which is something to be admired. But something about his semi cult status and the way he was trusted by his manager (hitting higher than he should and overall playing more than he should, imo) that just kind of encapsulated some of the frustration I had with the shortcomings of that era. At the end of the day he really wasn't that good, he had one season with an OPS+ above average (and he wasn't even in a Twins uniform that year). A decent role player with a couple really nice years but whose overall skill level didn't match his outsized role. Even in the teams sorry state I'm skeptical he would be one of the better hitters, but if that is true, we're in big trouble!

 

 

[olerud]

TORII HUNTER!!!!!!!!!!! 2nd choice punto but I want Torii!

[T.O.]

2 hours ago, Original_JB said:

Does anyone think that the new, apparently silent (for now at least) partners have been or will  be given, any say in the matter? Or are they just a money infusion hoping to make their profit when the team does get sold, somewhere down the line?

The Twins are good at mystery. If they are silent now I can't see any reason that would change. It would seem likely they are investors that intend to cash in on some future profit, maybe from some profit sharing deal in the future. Some expectation that we don't know about.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I don't think Gladden would take a job where he has to be sober.

 

I mean...that's the dream though, right?  Who among us wouldn't snap up a job where we could have a tap brew while on the clock?  

[Maybe Next Year]

10 hours ago, EGFTShaw said:

@Fire Dan Gladden  have any comments lol

What’s your problem with Gladden?

[Eris]

6 hours ago, Markdumont25 said:

Not Nick Punto please.

The winningest manager in Twins history played 1 year (49 games)  with 0.181/0.262/0.244 and a WRC+ of 43.  

Nick Punto played to his fullest capabilities.  If everyone on the current roster did that, the outcome of the last 2 seasons would be different.

One of my frustrations with the current team is there didn’t seem to be any consequences for not hustling on the base paths.  Hopefully the new manager will change that.

 

 

[RaoulDuke]

13 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

Falvey needs help. No one should be POBO and running the business side. He’s in over his head. 

I think they should lean into it, make Falvey the manager as well.  It saves the Pohlads money and there will be no more scapegoats to hide behind so maybe he will finally be the one to get fired.

[old nurse]

23 hours ago, CRF said:

I'll be the first to say it...I just don't trust Falvey to make the right choice. 

History would say you are correct. Hiring a manager almost always ends up looking like a mistake. That is why so many of them get fired. An optimistic guess would be about a 5% chance of hiring a manager that won’t be fired 

[Bodie]

23 hours ago, Jeff K said:

Rowson appears to be a fine hitting coach; however, I don't think the Twins should have anything to do with the philosophy that lead to the bomba squad.  Makes little sense to me if the Twins are going in a scrappier direction.

I'd like to add, I just don't want to see anyone associated with this bunch in any way, shape or form. The Twins are SO fundamentally flawed in ALL facets of the game, that anyone associated with them should be disqualified on that basis alone.  An absolute and utter clean break is necessary. 

Sorry Rowson.  Sorry Torii.  Sorry to anyone even periphially involved in getting us "here".  

Need actual clean break. Too bad that ship has already sailed. Waiting for THE Smartest Man in the Room! to announce that Rocco will be interviewed, as Falvey doesn't do mistakes. 

[old nurse]

10 hours ago, Eris said:

The winningest manager in Twins history played 1 year (49 games)  with 0.181/0.262/0.244 and a WRC+ of 43.  

Nick Punto played to his fullest capabilities.  If everyone on the current roster did that, the outcome of the last 2 seasons would be different.

One of my frustrations with the current team is there didn’t seem to be any consequences for not hustling on the base paths.  Hopefully the new manager will change that.

 

 

You sure there was not consequences. Jonas Bride managed to play in 33 games 

[dxpavelka]

On 10/17/2025 at 7:09 AM, CRF said:

I'll be the first to say it...I just don't trust Falvey to make the right choice. 

then i guess they should just put the decision in YOUR hands.

 

[dxpavelka]

9 hours ago, Bodie said:

I'd like to add, I just don't want to see anyone associated with this bunch in any way, shape or form. The Twins are SO fundamentally flawed in ALL facets of the game, that anyone associated with them should be disqualified on that basis alone.  An absolute and utter clean break is necessary. 

Sorry Rowson.  Sorry Torii.  Sorry to anyone even periphially involved in getting us "here".  

Need actual clean break. Too bad that ship has already sailed. Waiting for THE Smartest Man in the Room! to announce that Rocco will be interviewed, as Falvey doesn't do mistakes. 

Fine.  Since you are waiting for THE Smartest Man in the Room to announce something regarding the possibility of Rocco being interviewed, I'll do my part and weigh in.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/rocco-baldelli-interested-in-managing-again.html#:~:text=With the Padres now in,View Comments (37)

 

[dxpavelka]

Typically, the best managers are guys who were role players, sat on the bench quite a bit where they spent time picking the brain(s) of some smart baseball guys along the way.  Guys like Torii & Albert Pujols, who were stars, and had everything come easy for them and never had to work to get an edge don't seem to be the best managers.  Sure, you will be able to comeback with few exceptions to what I just said, but by and large, I'm right on this one.  Cap Anson was probably the most successful player to have managerial success.  Maybe we could reach out to him.  Quite a reach since he's been dead for a hundred years but (insert typical Twins fan joke about him working cheap here) it's worth a shot.  The perfect example would be Billy Martin.  Played over a decade, less than a thousand hits, one All-Star team, finished 25th in the MVP voting, once.  Basically a role player, sat on a lot of benches, learned a lot from some guy named Stengel.  If memory serves me right, seemed to have a bit of an edge to him.  Not sure about that.  Guess we could ask Dave Boswell, but he's dead too.  Gene Mauch played 9 years in the big league and totaled less than 900 plate appearances.  Sat on a lot of benches and learned from guys like Leo Durocher, Charlie Grimm & Eddie Stanky.  Guys like Torii & Pujols profile more like  Ted Williams as managers.  Also, hitting & pitching coaches tend to be specialized in their own field and NOT make great managers.  Ray Miller was a great pitching coach.  His biggest accomplishment as a manager was getting fired and clearing the way for TK.  Guys like Punto, Suzuki &  Ramon Vasquez profile as potential TK or Billy Martin types.  Guys like Torii profile more like Ted Williams guys.  You pick.

[GNXman]

On 10/17/2025 at 10:38 AM, DJL44 said:

I don't think Gladden would take a job where he has to be sober.

Why not  Paul molitor? 

[Jacksson]

Let me just float the idea that some of the candidates for manager might just be interviewed as a means of garnering ideas in terms of knowledge of players, how other organizations develop a strategy for facing the Twins, or as an excuse to find out how content  the interviewee is with their current position & organization.

The interviewer needs to have the ability to determine whether the interviewee is: REALLY interested in the job or is just out to polish their interviewing skills, telling the interviewer what he wants to hear or is being open and honest about his opinions and philosophy.

[Doctor Wu]

On 10/17/2025 at 8:35 PM, Doctor Gast said:

Ron Washington as INF & 3B coach & bilingual Nelson Cruz as hitting & 1B coach.  IMO, these guys would make a great team.

Big thumbs up to those two guys coming in as coaches. And as old as he is, I'd still love to have Wash as manager. 

[Doctor Gast]

2 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Big thumbs up to those two guys coming in as coaches. And as old as he is, I'd still love to have Wash as manager. 

Absolutely, Wash is great on fundamentals & has the most experience, but IMO, he can't handle the rigor & stress of a manager. IMO, on face value, Tori Hunter is the least qualified of the 4 to be a manager. But IMO, Twins' greatest need as a team is healing club & fan culture. Twins need a manager to be a cheerleader & have a good rapport with the players. Hunter has that especially with Lewis, who might be the biggest challenge. Wash probably won't want anything to do with managing but might be persuaded to help his good friend Hunter. IMO, Greene is the best candidate & checks the most boxes like development, a grasp of the game & how to use the BP & is great in supportive roles. It'll take at least a bench coach position to lure him away from MIL.

[Twodogs]

On 10/17/2025 at 7:13 AM, SteveLV said:

The fact that people like Bochey and Maddon have not reportedly been contacted tells us they are going young(ish) and are looking for an ascending talent who will not break the bank.

On paper, I prefer Vasquez.  I can't get over the idea that being bilingual is so very important with the make up of rosters these days.  Plus, I want an outsider, not someone already working in this system who might be beholden to Falvey's decisions on day-to-day management.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP1YrSYAADt/?igsh=MTIzYTh4a2NoeG43Ng==

 

Falvey would never want Bochey or Maddon there because they know way more than Falvey ever will.

[EGFTShaw]

On 10/17/2025 at 8:50 PM, Maybe Next Year said:

What’s your problem with Gladden?

I personally don't have any, but maybe @Fire Dan Gladden can fill you in on his Twins Daily ID. 😏

[jmlease1]

On 10/18/2025 at 4:58 PM, dxpavelka said:

Typically, the best managers are guys who were role players, sat on the bench quite a bit where they spent time picking the brain(s) of some smart baseball guys along the way.  Guys like Torii & Albert Pujols, who were stars, and had everything come easy for them and never had to work to get an edge don't seem to be the best managers.  Sure, you will be able to comeback with few exceptions to what I just said, but by and large, I'm right on this one.  Cap Anson was probably the most successful player to have managerial success.  Maybe we could reach out to him.  Quite a reach since he's been dead for a hundred years but (insert typical Twins fan joke about him working cheap here) it's worth a shot.  The perfect example would be Billy Martin.  Played over a decade, less than a thousand hits, one All-Star team, finished 25th in the MVP voting, once.  Basically a role player, sat on a lot of benches, learned a lot from some guy named Stengel.  If memory serves me right, seemed to have a bit of an edge to him.  Not sure about that.  Guess we could ask Dave Boswell, but he's dead too.  Gene Mauch played 9 years in the big league and totaled less than 900 plate appearances.  Sat on a lot of benches and learned from guys like Leo Durocher, Charlie Grimm & Eddie Stanky.  Guys like Torii & Pujols profile more like  Ted Williams as managers.  Also, hitting & pitching coaches tend to be specialized in their own field and NOT make great managers.  Ray Miller was a great pitching coach.  His biggest accomplishment as a manager was getting fired and clearing the way for TK.  Guys like Punto, Suzuki &  Ramon Vasquez profile as potential TK or Billy Martin types.  Guys like Torii profile more like Ted Williams guys.  You pick.

role players and catchers it seems.

But former star players rarely work out as managers. Some of them aren't interested/able to do the grind that good/great managers do in knowing everything that's going on with their team, obsessing about the details, crushing tape to find an edge, etc. Others struggle to communicate the how about things that they did as players or don't understand why players aren't able to just do something that the star player sees as just what a player is supposed to do...because they're asking players with lesser talent to do what they did.

Now, if you think you can stack up the coaching roster with guys that do all the teaching and strategy prep and the manager is a CEO type whose primary responsibility is communicating with the media, setting an example/standard, handling the vibes and personalities of the clubhouse, etc then maybe someone like a Torii Hunter or Albert Pujols works? It's not like they don't know baseball, and the media loooooves Hunter, which would certainly generate some positive press. But would either be a good day-to-day manager? I think @dxpavelka is right: they'd be the exceptions to the rule.