MINNEAPOLIS -- Glen Perkins is excited to have another Golden Gopher on board. Joe Mauer gladly welcomes a fellow Cretin-Derham Hall alumni.
But both Minnesota Twins players were looking forward to more than just those school ties when Paul Molitor was introduced as the next manager of the Twins on Tuesday. They, as well as others in Minnesota's clubhouse, have expressed a high level of respect for Molitor's baseball knowledge that has them eager to be led by a Hall of Fame player.
"He's easily the most knowledgeable baseball person that I've been around," said Perkins, Minnesota's two-time All-Star closer, who was on hand Tuesday for Molitor's introductory press conference. "I don't think his abilities and those things were used to the full extent (last year), which is why he's our manager now. He's the guy in charge. . . . It's going to be fun to see to how he adapts from last year in a small coaching role to this year in a lot bigger expanded coaching role."
After spending many years as a roving minor-league instructor in the Twins' organization, Molitor was brought onto the major-league staff as a coach for the 2014 season where he helped with base running, defense and served as another set of eyes on the bench during games.
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier credited Molitor with helping him make the transition to second base, as well as the increase in Dozier's stolen base totals -- from 14 in 2013 to 21 this past season. Molitor worked early in the season with Dozier and other players about reading opposing pitchers and trying to pick up on tendencies that might give base runners an edge. That same approach helped Molitor steal 504 bases during his 21-year career.
"There's not a better guy fit for the job, in my opinion," Dozier said Monday when Molitor's hiring was announced. "I know you hear so many times . . . how intelligent he is and knowledgeable he is about the game of baseball. It's off the charts. I think it truly is a blessing. I'm excited."
Like Molitor, Mauer grew up in St. Paul and also played his high school baseball at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. Across the street from their alma mater's baseball field is a restaurant, the Nook, where both Molitor and Mauer have burgers named after them. Their pictures are both displayed on the walls, too.
Since Mauer was growing up, Molitor's name was a mainstay in St. Paul. The latter stayed in the state to play college baseball at the University of Minnesota and eventually spent the final three years of his playing career with the Twins. Now, he takes over the reins of his hometown team and gets to manage a fellow St. Paul native in Mauer, who has been the face of the franchise for years.
"I was always a fan of Paul Molitor and how he plays the game," Mauer said Tuesday. "I know what he stands for, what kind of a guy he is. It was definitely a good feeling when I heard the news. I'm excited to see him in that role."
When the Twins fired manager Ron Gardenhire after the 2014 season -- his 13th as manager -- many of Minnesota's players shared the blame for Gardenhire's dismissal. The Twins lost 92 or more games in four straight seasons, but they didn't pin the blame on Gardenhire.
On the same token, they know a new manager won't cure all that ails a struggling franchise. But there's undoubtedly a level of excitement among those in the clubhouse to welcome Molitor in as the new skipper.
"I'll be honest with you, as soon as we found out that Gardy wasn't coming back, Molly was the guy that I wanted all along," said Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe. "Not that there wasn't other good candidates there, because there was, but Molly's a guy I've gotten to know over the last 10 years. . . . He's a guy that I respect to the utmost degree, baseball wise, off the field. Everything about the guy you just have to respect. He's a guy you want to go into battle with, for sure."
Gardenhire was 57 years old in his last season as manager. Molitor will be 58 when he begins his first year as the Twins skipper. That's a sizeable age gap from Minnesota's younger players, some of which are in their early 20s.
Though he's a first-time manager, Molitor doesn't anticipate age being an issue as he looks to build a rapport with the players in his clubhouse.
"The fact that I have been in this system and the fact that a lot of these guys that are playing here and guys that will be playing here, they knew me when I wasn't 58," Molitor said. "No one takes credit for a guy becoming a major league player, but I think people realize that different people helped them with little things along the way. I think having that relationship in the past kind of eliminates at least some of the fact that I'm older than a lot of the guys that have taken this first job for the first time."
Molitor's personality is very different than Gardenhire's, who was outgoing with the media and a bit more of a comedian in the clubhouse than Molitor figures to be. Twins general manager Terry Ryan described Molitor's personality as calm, guarded and complex.
Yet that doesn't always tell the whole story of what it takes to be a successful manager or to be able to connect with players.
"Molly knows how to run a clubhouse, I believe," Dozier said. "He's a jokester. He's very witty himself, and that's what you need in a clubhouse to go along with the knowledge of the game and all that kind of stuff. He's a perfect fit for the job. . . . He's as good as it gets in my opinion."
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