Rocco Baldelli

Rocco Dan Baldelli ( 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 2003. During his first two seasons in the MLB, Baldelli established himself as an excellent offensive and defensive outfielder and placed third in voting for American League (AL) Rookie of the Year. In 2005, Baldelli's promising career was derailed by a rare metabolic/muscular disorder that caused frequent soft tissue injuries, fatigue, and other ailments. 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 2010, the former everyday center fielder spent long stretches on the disabled list and played at least half of the season only once—in 2006, when he appeared in 92 games for the Devil Rays. Baldelli appeared in 35 games in 2007 and 28 in 2008, and the Rays did not renew his contract after the season. He 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. Still struggling with injuries, 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 appeared in 10 games during the last month of the regular season. However, severe muscle cramping during the 2010 playoffs forced him off the team's active roster, at which point he ended 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. Baldelli was named manager of the Minnesota Twins after the 2018 season. 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.