Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan wasn't kidding when he said the team was going to take its time looking for a new manager to replace Ron Gardenhire. But the process is moving along, and it's getting clearer that Paul Molitor might be the top candidate.
According to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, Molitor will have another meeting with Ryan tomorrow to talk about the manager position. Molitor, the Twins' infield coach, met with Ryan and other executives shortly after Gardenhire was dismissed, and due to his ties with the organization, it was always apparent he would be a front-running candidate for the position. Others within the organization that have met with Ryan include Class A manager Doug Mientkiewicz and Triple-A manager Gene Glynn.
Outside candidates who were on Ryan's interview listed include Oakland Athletics bench coach Chip Hale (signed with Arizona), White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing (ruled out), Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. (ruled out), Blue Jays bench coach Demarlo Hale (ruled out) and Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo (still being considered). Glynn is reportedly no longer being considered, as Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 said yesterday that the search has been narrowed down to Molitor, Mientkiewicz and Lovullo.
Molitor and Mientkiewicz have previous ties with the Twins' organization. Molitor finished his playing career with Minnesota, during which he notched a career-high 225 hits as a 39-year-old in 1996. He batted .341 that year, but the Twins finished 78-84, which was good for fourth place in the AL Central. Molitor retired after the 1998 season as the team finished worse in the standings during his final two years in the MLB. On the other hand, Mientkiewicz started his career with Minnesota, playing in six-plus seasons with the team, although only four were considered full seasons. He maintained a .275 average with 43 home runs and 266 RBIs in 643 games. The first baseman then bounced around the MLB before retiring in 2009 at 35 years old.
Aside from compiling historic career statistics (one of only four players to record 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average and 500 stolen bases) and being named to the Hall of Fame in 2004, Molitor served as the Twins bench coach for three years under longtime manager Tom Kelly. When Kelly retired in 2001, Molitor was believed to be a finalist for the managerial position, but withdrew his name from consideration because the Twins were being targeted for potential contraction. He rejoined the Twins prior to the 2014 season and is now looking like the top candidate for the position.
Ryan told reporters earlier this month that the team is "not anywhere near done" with the manager search, but that looks like it's going to change.
