What do you need to know about new Twins manager Rocco Baldelli? Here are the quick highlights.
Seven things to know about new Twins manager Rocco Baldelli
October 26, 2018 at 4:32AM
Baldelli was born Sept. 25, 1981 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. At age 37, he is one year older than Tom Kelly was when he replaced Ray Miller as manager in 1986.
Picked sixth overall in the 2000 draft, Baldelli turned down a scholarship to Wake Forest to sign with the Rays.
His MLB debut came in 2003 when Baldelli started in center field for a Tampa Bay team that also had rookie Carl Crawford in left field. Baldelli batted .289 with 11 home runs and 27 stolen bases.
Baldelli was sidelined for a season-and-a-half when he injured his ACL in 2005 while playing baseball with his brother and then hurt his elbow while in rehab. He didn't return until midway through the 2006 season. Baldelli batted .302 with 16 homers in 92 games.
A muscular disorder limited Baldelli to 135 games over the next four seasons with Tampa Bay, Boston and Toronto. He was eventually diagnosed with Mitochondrial Channelopathy, which causes severe muscle fatigue.
After retiring as a player in 2010, Baldelli held a variety of positions in the Rays' organization. He was most recently the major league field coordinator, which entailed analyzing the tendencies of opposing teams.
In 2004, Baldelli was inducted into the Rhode island Italian-American Hall of Fame.
Correction: A previous version of this article briefly included a photo that was not Rocco Baldelli.
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