| Rocco Baldelli | |
|---|---|
 Baldelli with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007 | |
| Minnesota Twins – No. 5 | |
| Outfielder / Manager | |
| Born: September 25, 1981 Woonsocket, Rhode Island, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| March 31, 2003, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2010, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics (through September 29, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 60 |
| Runs batted in | 262 |
| Managerial record | 457–413 |
| Winning % | .525 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Rocco Daniel Baldelli (/bɔːlˈdɛli/; born September 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach who is the manager of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Baldelli quickly progressed through the minor leagues and made his big league debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on opening day in 2003. Baldelli quickly established himself as an excellent hitter and outfielder, and placed third in voting for American League (AL) Rookie of the Year.
In 2005, Baldelli's promising career was derailed by channelopathy, a rare metabolic/muscular disorder which causes frequent soft tissue injuries and severe fatigue. He was unable to play at all in 2005 and missed significant time over the following seasons as doctors struggled to diagnose and treat his condition; from 2005 until his retirement in 2010, the former everyday center fielder spent long stretches on the disabled list and only once appeared in more than half of his team's games. Baldelli signed a free-agent contract with his hometown Boston Red Sox in 2009 and appeared in 62 games as a backup outfielder and part-time designated hitter. Unsure if he was physically capable of continuing his playing career, he returned to the Rays organization as a minor league coach in December 2009. As the 2010 season progressed, he decided to attempt another comeback and began rehabbing in the Rays' minor league system. Baldelli returned to the major leagues in September and hit a pinch-hit home run in his first at-bat. He appeared in 10 games over the last month of the regular season and was included on the Rays' playoff roster, but severe muscle cramping during the team's first round series forced him out of the lineup, at which point he decided to end his playing career at age 29.
After retiring as a player, Baldelli spent three years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization as a roving minor league instructor and special assistant to baseball operations. He was named the club's first base coach before the 2014 season and was promoted to major league field coordinator in November 2017.[1][2]
Baldelli was named manager of the Minnesota Twins after the 2018 season.[3] In 2019, he led them to 101 wins and an AL Central Division title and was named the 2019 American League manager of the year. At 38 years old, he was the youngest manager to win the award.[4]
- ^ Topkin, Marc (December 19, 2014). "Rays add Charlie Montoyo, Rocco Baldelli to coaching staff". tampabay.com. St. Petersburg, Florida: Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ Topkin, Mark (November 17, 2017). "Rays give Baldelli new title of Major-League Field Coordinator". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ^ Gonzalez, Alden; Castillo, Jorge (October 25, 2018). "Source: Twins hiring Rocco Baldelli as manager". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ Polacek, Scott (November 12, 2019). "Rocco Baldelli Wins 2019 AL Manager of Year Award over Aaron Boone, Kevin Cash". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 28, 2021.