Molitor: 'I'm Coming Here To Win'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Former player and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor is the newest manager of the Minnesota Twins. The announcement was made at Target Field on Election Day. The former Gopher played in the majors for 21 seasons.
Molitor was on the Twins coaching staff this season as a bench coach. He first was responsible for in-game strategy and then was moved to first-base coach after the All-Star break. The move really doesn't come as a surprise to Twins fans. Molitor was seen as the front-runner since the search started.
Molitor has been with the Twins organization since 2005. Before joining the coaching staff full time this past year, he worked with the Twins minor league system for the better part of a decade (2005-2013). Molitor has never managed at any level. He certainly has a tough job in front him.
"This was a mutual decision I reached with my family," said Molitor. "Finally everything seemed to come together right."
The Twins have had four straight seasons with at least 92 losses, but Molitor said he wants to win right now.
"I'm coming here to win and it's very important to lay that out there from the start," said Molitor when speaking about taking over the reins.
Molitor is the eighth Hall of Fame player to manage a major league baseball team.
"We'll start the search for the staff starting this afternoon," said Twins General Manager Terry Ryan, speaking about the rest of the coaching staff search. "We are looking for seven guys. They'll be inside and outside the organization."
Molitor signed a three-year deal with the Twins.
The Twins interviewed numerous candidates in the five weeks since Ron Gardenhire was fired. In the end, they chose the St. Paul native over others including Boston bench coach Torey Lovullo and minor league manager Doug Mientkiewicz.
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