We previously tracked the early stages of the Twins’ managerial search in an earlier post. Now, the Twins have pared the field down to a handful (or less) of candidates, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. It’s not yet entirely clear which names are still under consideration, but at least three are known to be finalists.
With second-round interviews now underway, we’ll use this post to keep tabs on further developments:
Finalists
- Current Twins bench coach Derek Shelton remains under consideration after impressing in his first-round chat with the front office brass, Miller adds. Though he served for only one season as the top lieutenant to recently dismissed skipper Paul Molitor, it’s worth remembering that Shelton was brought into the fold in Minnesota under the guidance of current top baseball ops executives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.
- Rays field coordinator Rocco Baldelli was in Minneapolis for another interview on Monday, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Wolfson notes that Minnesota could hire Baldelli and retain Shelton as his bench coach. Baldelli and Shelton know each other well from their time working together in the Rays organization.
- Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde is also viewed as a finalist and will get a second interview, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic (subscription required). Like Shelton, Hyde has limited experience as a bench coach but otherwise has plenty of other relevant experience. In addition to his time as a MLB coach, Hyde has served several seasons as a minor-league skipper.
Status Unknown
- La Velle Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune noted recently that retired catcher David Ross could yet remain in the mix. But Patrick Mooney of The Athletic tweets that Ross has not yet interviewed, which may suggest he’s not under consideration at this time.
No Longer Under Consideration
- Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens are believed to be out of the running, per Fancred’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Both had received initial interviews.
I’m liking the Baldelli/Shelton combo or just plain Shelton. Either way I think it’s a win for the Twins.
I don’t care who manages the team, if you don’t have the talent, you aren’t gonna win. Molitor did a great job with the roster made up of mostly AAA players in my opinion. They’re pitching sucks and the hitting isn’t too far behind that, outside of maybe 3 or 4 guys at best.
Their pitching sucks almost as bad as yourself homophones.
Tend to agree .. Players can make a good manager look Great !!
The Indians can dominate the division for the next several years with their starting pitching alone
I’m disappointed that neither Mike Redmond or Chip Hale were mentioned as being interviewed.
Showalter. Girardi. Quade.
Baldelli
What ever happened to Bo Porter in managerial discussions? The guy has an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and built much of what became the heart of the current Astros. Actually, he did an amazing job with what he had to work with.