Rigney wasn't a bad manager, in fact he came with a strong resume. He won the division in 1970, despite losing Rod Carew early in the season to injury. It did help that Harmon Killebrew, Tony Olivia and Jim Perry all had career years. In 1971, those three all seemed to age quickly.
The biggest knock on Rigney was he replaced popular Billy Martin, who won the division in 1969 with virtually the same team as 1970. Martin and Calvin Griffith's feud was legendary in Twins territory. Martin went to have a very successful managerial career that didn't help Rigney's popularity.