ESPN 1500 in Minneapolis is reporting that the Minnesota Twins are expected to name Hall of Famer Paul Molitor as their new manager on Monday.
Molitor, who played his final three seasons in a Twins uniform, will replace long-time manager Ron Gardenhire in the dugout. Gardenhire was fired following yet another substandard season for the Twins, leading them to a 70-92 record and last place finish in the AL Central. It was the third time in four years that Minnesota finished in last place.
Molitor played 21 seasons in the Majors, putting up a career .306 average with over 3,300 hits. After retiring from baseball following the 1998 season, Molitor served as the team’s bench coach for three seasons. The expectation was that he would replace then manager Tom Kelly when he retired, but that never materialized.
After a stint with the Seattle Mariners, Molitor rejoined the Twins as a coach this past season.
At the very least, this will excite a fan base that has been downtrodden over the past few years. And in reality, there is little doubt that Molitor is a good baseball mind.
Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo and Twins Single-A manager Doug Mientkiewicz were also finalists for the job.
Photo: TwinCities.com