The Minnesota Twins caught the baseball world by surprise a bit on Tuesday when they announced that manager Paul Molitor will be replaced at that position. Molitor, who had two years left on his current contract, will stay with the organization in an unknown role. The 62-year-old spent four seasons as the Twins' manager, putting together a 305-343 record during his time. He is coming off a 78-84 season, which was good for second place behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.
Whatever role Molitor may have with the organization from here has not been solidified, but the team says they have had "productive conversations" with him about it and expects him to accept it. The team did thank him for his time, as he is a Minnesota native and former Twins player, which led to them stating that his "roots here run deep" and called his commitment to the organization "special."
The former catcher signed a three-year contract extension after the 2017 season, when his team made it to the Postseason, but fell in the American League Wild Card Game to the New York Yankees. In 21 seasons as a player with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins, Molitor had 3,319 hits, which led to him getting voted in to the Hall of Fame in 2004. That was his first appearance on the ballot.
This has to be a surprise to the now former manager, who expressed confidence that he and his entire coaching staff would be back next season. This confidence came despite his team never overcoming a slow start that saw them win just nine games in April. They dealt with injuries to Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. who both never got going this year. This was after a surprising 85-77 season a year ago, as this year's struggles led to team owner Jim Pohlad not officially giving Molitor a vote of confidence, as he mentioned that they would discuss him after the season. They have discussed and made the change, as they hope to find a way to challenge the Indians in 2020.
Whatever role Molitor may have with the organization from here has not been solidified, but the team says they have had "productive conversations" with him about it and expects him to accept it. The team did thank him for his time, as he is a Minnesota native and former Twins player, which led to them stating that his "roots here run deep" and called his commitment to the organization "special."
The former catcher signed a three-year contract extension after the 2017 season, when his team made it to the Postseason, but fell in the American League Wild Card Game to the New York Yankees. In 21 seasons as a player with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins, Molitor had 3,319 hits, which led to him getting voted in to the Hall of Fame in 2004. That was his first appearance on the ballot.
This has to be a surprise to the now former manager, who expressed confidence that he and his entire coaching staff would be back next season. This confidence came despite his team never overcoming a slow start that saw them win just nine games in April. They dealt with injuries to Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. who both never got going this year. This was after a surprising 85-77 season a year ago, as this year's struggles led to team owner Jim Pohlad not officially giving Molitor a vote of confidence, as he mentioned that they would discuss him after the season. They have discussed and made the change, as they hope to find a way to challenge the Indians in 2020.
