It would be easy to categorize Baldelli as a player’s manager, and traditionally after a firing, clubs go in the opposite direction with their next leader. It isn’t going to be that cut and dry for the Twins though, as they reportedly have identified the goal for their next skipper.

Player development is a must for MN Twins new manager

A few years ago, moving from a manager like Rocco Baldelli to someone like Doug Mientkiewicz might make sense. The former Twins first basemen has a reputation as a “red ass”, but the current regime chose not to keep him as a manager in the minors. Even though he won games, his style didn’t align with their philosophy. That same approach isn’t what they’re aiming for at the major league level, either.

One of the intended goals of bringing on a new manager is to hire someone well-versed in player development, Falvey said.

“I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all to this,” Falvey said. “We have to be very open-minded. … If you look around baseball, and you look at the postseason right now, there are all kinds of different managers. There are lots of very successful managers that have come from different backgrounds, different playing experiences, different coaching experiences, even just non-coaching experiences in and outside of the game.”

The Athletic

A strong background in player development, though, could hold importance. The Twins didn’t see many of their young hitters take a step forward this year. Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner didn’t hit as well as they did in past seasons. Brooks Lee has yet to establish himself. Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda seemingly fell out of the team’s plans.

“If you’re in a market like ours and you’re going to bring up players, you’re going to bring up guys that aren’t quite there yet,” Falvey said. “They need to be given runway, need to be given development and need to grow at this level.”

Star Tribune

Both Dan Hayes of The Athletic and Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune suggest that the Twins are looking for someone adept in player development. This is interesting because that doesn’t typically fall on the shoulders of a manager.

Managers are typically a reflection of the coaches around them from a performance standpoint. They are tasked with pulling levers, but they aren’t traditionally going to be directly credited for results.

It seems as the Twins want someone who has accomplished those feats previously before installing them as the leader of their clubhouse. If that is the case, someone like Torii Hunter could certainly be cast aside due to a lack of previous coaching experience.

If this is the channel for the Twins, then previous managers or high-level coaches all fit the bill. That goes back to the group of previously connected names like Derek Shelton, James Rowson, and Brandon Hyde.

New Twins manager will need to overhaul staff

While Rocco Baldelli was the name publicly announced as having been let go on Monday, the coaching staff is likely to take the fall as well. That could mean Tommy Watkins, Hank Conger, Jayce Tingler, and plenty of others are on the outs.

Whether any of them are ultimately retained remains to be seen. The reality for a newly identified manager is that they have to get the support staff right too.

Minnesota has looked to both the professional and college ranks when filling out the leaders of their clubhouse. That should be expected to remain the case going forward. The collective must be aligned on the direction and decisions for the future though.

No matter who is leading the charge, 2026 doesn’t look entirely promising. The more impact the next group of leaders can have on that, the better.

Someone had to take the fall for a 92-loss season. Ownership already decided to halt the sale of the team and instead invite new limited partners to buy down their debt. Derek Falvey was recently promoted to one of the highest ranking front office roles across the sport. Fault wasn’t going to be felt there.

With Baldelli being ousted though, the powers at the top must now find a new name. There have been candidates discussed previously, but we’re now starting to see some floated by local sources.

Bobby Nightengale offers new names for MN Twins manager role

Earlier this summer Buster Olney highlighted some candidates that could be considered to take over a vacancy at manager for the Minnesota Twins. Easy ties are made to former hitting coach James Rowson, and former bench coach Derek Shelton. The Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale mentions both of them as well.

The more intriguing names are those that hadn’t been previously considered or stated publicly. Seven of those exist in Nightengale’s mind.

Of them, there are four former managers. Skip Schumacher seems to be in line for the Texas Rangers job after they parted ways with future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. Both Hyde and Ross were out of the dugout and clubhouse this season. Bell formerly managed the Cincinnati Reds, and his brother Mike was the Twins bench coach in 2020 prior to his death.

Albernaz is a name that ESPN has also brought up, along with Kai Correa, as potential matches from the Guardians franchise. Falvey’s connections there continue to run deep, and he could look to poach from the AL Central Division champions.

Lombard was a candidate for the White Sox managerial job last season. Speaking of the White Sox, former Twins catcher Drew Butera was released from their coaching staff on Monday, and could be a candidate as well. So too could current bench coach Jayce Tingler.

Of the names Nightengale mentions though, it’s Torii Hunter that continues to generate some real steam.

Torii Hunter as the Minnesota Twins manager?

Hunter played 19 years at the Major League level. He has yet to manage in any capacity, but has worked in a coaching capacity with both the Twins and the Angels. At 50 years old, he could be the next former player to immediately step into the role.

The Twins Hall of Famer, a five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner, has expressed interest in managing. Hunter, 50, was a popular player inside and outside the clubhouse, and he’s worked as a special assistant in the Los Angeles Angels front office for the last two years. Hunter, who works with Twins third baseman Royce Lewis during the offseason, interviewed to be the Angels manager in 2023.

Bobby Nightengale – Star Tribune

Rocco Baldelli was seen as a player’s manager and typically a firing then swings the pendulum the other way. I’d guess Hunter would fall more in line as a player’s manager as well, but shouting and yelling can fall on deaf ears.

The reality is that great managers can carry messages between the front office and roster while effectively communicating in a way both sides are receptive to hearing. Hunter has the experience working with both sides, and he has been an integral part of generating positive clubhouse cultures as well.

Although Hunter does not have previous managerial experience, his fit is one that continues to gain steam.

Torii Hunter or Justin Morneau are the only right answers. https://t.co/YGgtoJfRuT

— Coach Trev (@trevorplouffe) September 29, 2025

torii hunter pic.twitter.com/z8MBuJrHAa

— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) September 30, 2025

The last series against the Angels, Torii Hunter was in the dugout for Los Angeles and comments were made about getting him back involved at the highest level for the Twins.

I don't really care about previous managerial experience, and I'd prefer not to hire a retread.

If…

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 30, 2025

Going with Hunter would be taking a risk. The Cleveland Guardians did so with a 39-year-old Stephen Vogt last season though, and he won 92 games while finishing first in the division. This season they repeated, and overcame a 12.5 game deficit to chase down the Detroit tigers.

Previous experience shouldn’t be the lone determining factor, and Hunter has been intrigued by different managerial jobs previously. He’s currently engrained in the Angels system, and makes sense as a successor to Ron Washington. Minnesota may be best served to poach him first.