With the Minnesota Twins already knee-deep in their search for a new manager after dismissing Rocco Baldelli, a handful of candidates have emerged as serious contenders for the opening. They range from confirmed possibilities, such as former Twins coaches James Rowson and Derek Shelton, to candidates with no internal ties, such as the Kansas City Royals third base coach Vance Wilson and Boston Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez.
Of course, the type of possibility that will always be the most fun for fans to dream on happens to be the former Twins players who want to throw their hat in the ring. That includes franchise icon Torii Hunter, who has made his interest in being an MLB manager abundantly clear, but has yet to be confirmed as a candidate for the Twins gig. It also includes the shredder, Nick Punto. The former is as popular a name as just about anyone among Twins fans, and the latter has been confirmed for an interview with the club this month.
With these names already in the mix, here are three more former Twins who could make for intriguing options to be the club’s next skipper.
While many Twins fans would much rather see Joe Mauer take the reins as manager (keep dreaming), it’s his longtime backup that would actually make for an interesting hire.
The veteran backstop had a surprisingly long career for someone with a lifetime .196 batting average, but that’s for good reason. The son of Sal Butera was lauded for his strong clubhouse presence, particularly in his relationships with the pitching staff at each stop throughout his career.
Upon his retirement as a player after the 2021 season, the Los Angeles Angels hired Butera as their bullpen coach, and he got strong marks for the strides he made with the club’s young arms. He leveraged that role into a catching coach position with the Chicago White Sox following the 2023 campaign, and remained with the club even after a managerial turnover.
Butera could interest the Twins as they try to improve their clubhouse culture, as well as the development of their starting rotation and blank slate of a bullpen.
The fan-favorite former catcher was best known for dubious reasons, including a mid-inning change at the backstop when he allowed seven consecutive stolen bases in a game. Still, he’s turned in quite the resume as a minor league manager since his retirement.
LeCroy has taken the helm at three different stops in the Washington Nationals organization since 2011. He has had a lengthy stint as the manager of their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. While their big-league club cleaned house with its entire coaching staff, they announced that LeCroy would stay on in his current role.
If the Twins showed interest in him as a managerial candidate for their big league club, the Nats would likely allow him to interview, should he share interest in the job.
LeCroy has always been a highly valued personality throughout his career, and the Twins could appreciate his ability to develop top prospects as they approach their big league debut, as he has done with MLB All-Stars such as James Wood and Lucas Giolito.
Redmond is the only member of this list with actual experience as an MLB manager is another former backup to Maues. He’s best known for being a member of the infamous 2006 Piranhas team. Red Dog was a lovable member of some of the best Twins teams of the 21st century and was always seen as a manager-in-waiting.
The Toronto Blue Jays hired him to manage their Single-A team immediately upon his retirement as a player after the 2010 season, during which he won Midwest Manager of the Year. They then promoted him to the same role for the High-A club a year later. In 2012, the new-look Miami Marlins hired him to be their manager.
Miami hired Redmond thanks to his ability to connect with a class of young players, many of whom he had managed with the Jays organization before they traded them to the Marlins in a massive off-season deal. Even after Miami dismissed him in the 2017 season, the Colorado Rockies swooped him up to be their bench coach, where he remained for eight-plus years.
It would be quite the redemption story for Redmond if he could land Minnesota’s manager role next year. If there’s one thing this team needs going forward, aside from a slugging first baseman and ⅞ of a bullpen, it’s redemption.