ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) — The Minnesota Twins have made the hire official, naming former Rays outfielder, first base coach and major league field coordinator Rocco Baldelli as their new manager.
ORIGINAL POST: Rocco Baldelli’s time on the Rays coaching staff appears to have come to an end.
Fox 9 in Minneapolis is reporting that the former Rays outfielder, who was the team’s major league field coordinator in 2018, will be introduced Monday as the new manager of the Minnesota Twins.
Baldelli reportedly beat out a number of finalists to replace Paul Molitor, who was fired at the end of the end of the 2018 season, including former Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton, who served as Molitor’s bench coach last year.
After a seven-year career as a player, six of which came with the Rays, he joined Kevin Cash’s coaching staff in 2015, serving as first-base coach for three seasons before transitioning to major league field coordinator this past year.
Baldelli has also been considered a finalist for the Blue Jays and Rangers open managerial posts.
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