Baldelli is a 'big part' of Twins going forward

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MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s a fair question to ask, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey conceded, when he was queried about whether manager Rocco Baldelli’s job is safe following a disappointing 2022 campaign in which the Twins led the American League Central for much of the season but fell out of the running in a difficult finish.

But Falvey didn’t hesitate in giving Baldelli his full show of support.

“Rocco is our manager,” Falvey said. “He's my partner in this all the way through. That's never even crossed my mind, quite frankly.”

Baldelli won AL Manager of the Year honors in 2019, his first season at the helm of the Twins, when the club won 101 games and set the all-time record for home runs in a season en route to Minnesota’s first division title since ’10. The Twins again won the AL Central the following season during the COVID-shortened pandemic year.

Last year, the Twins had a disappointing last-place finish at 73-89, and this year, an injury-ridden roster has limped to the end of the season, seemingly bound for a third-place finish. It’s particularly tough considering the Twins held at least a share of first place in the division for all but one day between April 24 and Aug. 8 -- but also, a step in the right direction considering the state of the team at the end of last season and the uncertainties on the pitching staff entering the year.

Baldelli’s winning percentage as skipper stood at .529 entering Saturday -- well ahead of his two immediate predecessors, with Paul Molitor at .471 and Ron Gardenhire at .507 as Twins manager.

“We assess everything together as a group, trying to figure out all the things we could have done differently to get to a better place today,” Falvey said. “Some of that … is medically related, but I'm not going to use that as a singular excuse. There's lots of areas we could be better. And ultimately, if we're not getting to the end of the season thinking about how we can be better the next year, they probably should decide someone else should be doing these jobs at that point. That's our job.”

As Falvey noted, Baldelli’s title is field manager, but he has essentially been a partner for Falvey and senior vice president, general manager Thad Levine since the Twins’ pair of front-office leaders chose Baldelli to complete their group ahead of the 2019 season. They talk through decisions together as a group after each game; they win and lose together; they stand together. And it’s going to remain that way.

“Rocco is a big part of our future,” Falvey said. “Not just next year, but beyond.”