Souhan: St. Paul's Molitor ready for top job

Whether Paul Molitor's tenure as Twins manager culminates in a parade or a pink slip, hiring him feels right, like pulling on a broken-in baseball cap and heading to the local ballpark.

Molitor grew up on the sandlots of St. Paul. He learned from legendary coach Bill Peterson, who taught him that you should slide hard enough to singe body hair. He played at Cretin, then at the University of Minnesota, and became a star in Milwaukee under the tutelage of a classic Midwestern sports hero, the stoic and exceptional Robin Yount.

Molitor earned a ring as the MVP of the 1993 World Series, and three years later came home to Minnesota, where he enjoyed a Favre-like late-career renaissance and collected his 3,000 hit in the uniform of the team he grew up following. One night in Kansas City, he would become the first baseball player ever to make his 3,000th hit a triple, paying homage to Peterson by diving head-first into third.

The best story lines don't always produce the best leaders, but Molitor, at 58, has prepared himself more thoroughly for this job than any other candidate could have, just as his predecessor, Ron Gardenhire, earned the job the last time Terry Ryan chose between the two men.

Molitor worked as a coach under Tom Kelly, the equivalent of a physicist temping in Einstein's lab. Molitor worked as a special assignment scout for the Twins, and when a young team earned its only playoff series win since 1991, beating the formidable A's in 2002, many players credited Molitor's incisive scouting reports.

In recent years, Molitor has worked closely with top prospects throughout the organization, prompting the likes of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano to rave about his insights.

When Molitor became a coach under Gardenhire last season, second baseman Brian Dozier credited Molitor for his improved baserunning, and several players privately hoped that Molitor would become their next manager if Gardenhire were fired.

Molitor will have to prove he can withstand a big-league manager's exhausting schedule, the media obligations and the constant second-guessing. There can be no concern about his expertise. He might have been the smartest player of his generation. While sitting on the bench with various Twins farm teams, he would shock players by calling out what the opposing pitcher was about to throw, or offering baserunning insights they had never before heard.

The Twins' only concern about Molitor throughout their relationship with him has been his occasional reticence to choose a defined career path. That is no longer a concern. Two people who know Molitor well said this week that he is driven to become a great manager, and to resurrect a franchise he loves.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan built an intriguing list of candidates, including Red Sox coach Torey Lovullo, who might have brought a fresh perspective to an organization that embraces change cautiously, if at all.

Molitor offers the advantage of a fresh perspective from someone who has experience at every level of the organization. He has worked closely with the front office, the farm teams, the franchise's most important players, and he is friendly with ownership. He has already won the respect of the players he will manage, and if his expertise in late-game strategy is equal to his expertise as a player, he will evoke memories of Kelly's chessmaster moves.

Ryan could have followed a recent trend and hired a recently retired player, but this may be his last chance at hiring the kid from St. Paul, the star from the U, the World Series champ, the Hall of Famer who ended his career with his hometown team.

Success isn't guaranteed to any manager, however skilled. Managers don't control farm system quality or free-agent acquisitions, injuries or payrolls. Given what a manager does control, Molitor will give the Twins as good a chance to win as anyone.

Baseball genius doesn't always translate into success, but it's the right way to bet.

Jim Souhan can be heard weekdays at noon and Sundays from 10 to noon on 1500 ESPN. @SouhanStrib • jsouhan@startribune.com