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St. Paul native and Hall of Fame baseball player Paul Molitor will be the next manager of the Minnesota Twins, the team announced Monday.

Molitor, 58, served as a Twins coach in 2014 and had been widely expected to get the job, replacing fired manager Ron Gardenhire.

He served for more than 10 years as a coach in the minor leagues, as well as earlier coaching stints with the Twins and the Seattle Mariners.

As a player, Molitor was one of baseball's best. Following a decorated playing career at St. Paul's Cretin High School and the University of Minnesota, he entered the big leagues in 1978 as a middle infielder with the Milwaukee Brewers.


When he retired in 1998, Molitor was only the fifth player in Major League Baseball history with at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases, and only the third player (along with Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner) with at least 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 500 stolen bases, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.


Molitor's expected to be formally introduced at a Tuesday press conference. The Twins said he's been signed to a three-year contract. 

He'll become the 13th manager in Twins history and third since 1986. He'll have plenty of challenges ahead. The Twins have lost more than 90 games in the last four seasons, and have seen former stars go on to success elsewhere.

1) Oct. 12, 1982: Molitor sets a World Series record with five hits in game 1.

2) October 1993: Molitor's Toronto Blue Jays team wins the World Series. He's named series MVP after hitting .500 and driving in eight runs.

3) Sept. 16, 1996: Molitor gets his 3,000th hit, a triple. He's the first player in MLB history to triple while reaching that Major League milestone.

Paul Molitor - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies

Sources: MLB; National Baseball Hall of Fame

• Ron Gardenhire (2002-14, record of 1068-1039)


• Tom Kelly (1986-2001, record of 1,140-1,244)


• Ray Miller (1985-86, record of 109-130)


• Billy Gardner (1981-85, record of 268-353)


• Johnny Goryl (1980-81, record of 34-38)


• Gene Mauch (1976-80, record of 378-394)


• Frank Quilici (1972-75, record of 280-287)


• Bill Rigney (1970-72, record of 208-184)


• Billy Martin (1969, record of 97-65)


• Cal Ermer (1967-68, record of 145-129)


• Sam Mele (1961-67, record of 522-431)


• Cookie Lavagetto (1961, record of 25-41)

Sports

Tim Nelson

Author

The St. Paul native, baseball coach and Hall of Famer had been widely expected to replace fired manager Ron Gardenhire.

Twins name Paul Molitor next manager

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