MINNEAPOLIS — One of the longest-tenured employees of the Minnesota Twins is retiring.
Jim Rantz, the Twins' senior director or minor league operations, announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the year. The 75-year-old Rantz has been with the Twins since the franchise first moved from Washington to Minnesota in 1961. He pitched in the minors for the Senators and Twins from 1960-64 before joining the Twins' front office in 1965 as the assistant public relations director.
From there, Rantz transitioned into the minor league and scouting department and was eventually named the director of minor league operations in 1986, the position he has held ever since.
"This has been an incredible journey for me and for my family and I look forward to spending more time with my wife, Pearl, our four children & their spouses, and nine grandchildren,” Rantz said in a statement. "I am most grateful to the Griffith family for bringing me into the game and to the Pohlad family for allowing me to contribute to the Twins organization for 52 years. It has been especially rewarding to do this with one club in my hometown."
Rantz, a native of St. Paul, played college baseball at the University of Minnesota and earned the win in the deciding game of the 1960 College World Series. Rantz was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2007.
