Twins' Rocco Baldelli named as a manager 'likely to face scrutiny' this offseason

The Twins' collapse hasn't exactly been Baldelli's fault, but he is the manager...

Sep 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli (5) looks over paperwork during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

In the midst of the Twins' stunning collapse that has them on the outside of the playoff picture in the season's final week, Rocco Baldelli has been named as one of the ten MLB managers "likely to face the most scrutiny this offseason" by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal notes that he doesn't expect the Twins to fire Baldelli, who clearly isn't the primary reason for this collapse, but that Minnesota may need more of a fiery edge from its skipper in 2025.

"Baldelli is not solely responsible for the team’s collapse. The Twins seem unlikely to hold him responsible. But the team’s cohesion has eroded since it was swept in Kansas City in early September, amid a 12-23 freefall. And Baldelli, if he survives, might need to adjust his loose, laid-back style, which seemingly has backfired with his young team."

It's tough to assess and quantify the impact of a baseball manager on the team's success or failure. Beyond things like bullpen decisions and other in-game moves, how can one determine the effectiveness of a manager's ability to get his team ready to play? Nonetheless, any time a debacle like this one occurs, the manager deserves to at least be scrutinized a bit.

"Injuries are part of the problem for a club that has used three rookie starters down the stretch and played without three top position players — Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis — for chunks of the season. But Correa, in comments after Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Marlins at Target Field, indicated certain players were not showing enough urgency, saying of the Twins’ predicament, “Some guys take it as poison and some guys take it as fuel.”

The Correa comments were very notable. If some young players aren't putting in the requisite amount of work to be properly prepared, that falls on them — and it also falls on the coaching staff.

"Baldelli, 43, has appeared more frustrated in the past six weeks than at any point during his six years as manager. His team’s lack of edge, though, would appear partly his own doing. Without the presence of an everyday force such as the Cleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez or the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., the Twins might need a greater push from its manager in 2025."

That feels like a fair assessment of the situation from Rosenthal. Baldelli takes some heat from fans for his pitching decisions, but those have mostly been fine. But the 2019 AL Manager of the Year might need to be more of a strong-handed force in the clubhouse if he does indeed return in 2025, which feels likely. It shouldn't fall on Correa, who missed a lot of time this year due to injury, to keep players in line.

This kind of collapse is unacceptable, and everyone involved should be held accountable in some fashion. That includes Baldelli.