Hall of Famer Molitor to be named Twins manager

By foxsports
Published

Hall of Famer Paul Molitor will be the Minnesota Twins next manager.

Molitor, a St. Paul native, was an assistant coach this past season with the Twins. He was Minnesota's minor-league baserunning and infield coordinator between 2003-13, excluding the 2004 season when he was the Seattle Mariners hitting coach.

Rumors about Molitor's appointment started swirling on Saturday.

StarTribune.com reported Molitor, a seven-time All-Star, interviewed for the Twins manager's position two days after Ron Gardenhire was fired. Molitor played the final three seasons of his 21-year major-league career with Minnesota.

StarTribune.com also reported that Doug Mientkiewicz, the club's Class-A Fort Myers manager, was informed he was no longer a candidate to be Gardenhire's replacement. Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo is the other finalist.

Reusse posted on his Twitter account the "deal is being finalized," and that Mientkiewicz could end up with the Twins' Double-A affiliate Rochester Red Wings. Mientkiewicz made his major-league playing debut with the Twins in 1998, playing the first 6½ seasons of his 12-year career with them.

Molitor played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1978-92, the Toronto Blue Jays from 1993-95 and the Twins from 1996-98, winning a World Series ring — and World Series MVP in '93. In his only other Fall Classic appearance, the Brewers lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

Molitor, now 58, finished with 3,319 hits, 234 homers, 1,307 RBI, 1,782 runs, 504 stolen bases (37th) and a .306 batting average during his career.

He ranks 10th on MLB's all-time list in hits, 11th in doubles (605), 20th in runs and 37th in stolen bases.

He is one of six players to total at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases, joining Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins, Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson.

Molitor was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year on the ballot, when he received 85.2 percent of the required vote. His No. 4 is retired by the Milwaukee Brewers.