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The Twins have officially hired Paul Molitor to be their next manager, according to a team announcement. The decision was first reported by Patrick Reusse of 1500 ESPN over the weekend.
BREAKING: The #MNTwins to name Paul Molitor as new manager tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT press conference! pic.twitter.com/nnv04Ju6Rc
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 3, 2014
Molitor, 58, will become the thirteenth manager in franchise history and will replace long-time manager Ron Gardenhire, who was let go at the end of the season. Molitor has no prior major-league managing experience, but worked as the Twins' bench coach for three seasons after retirement and was part of the team's major league staff under Gardenhire in 2014.
Molitor was chosen over multiple other candidates, including finalists Doug Mientkiewicz and Torey Lovullo. Also considered for the job were Chip Hale, Sandy Alomar Jr., Joe McEwing, Gene Glynn, Demarlo Hale and John Russell, according to reports.
Molitor will be the second current Hall of Famer to take a managing job, joining Phillies' skipper Ryne Sandberg. In a 21-year major league career with the Brewers (1978-1992), Blue Jays (1993-1995) and Twins (1996-1998), Molitor, a St. Paul native, hit .306 with 234 home runs and 3,319 hits en route to seven All-Star Game appearances, four Silver Slugger awards and a World Series MVP award in 1993.