Minnesota Twins: 5 Former Players Who Should Be on the Coaching Staff

The 19-33 Minnesota Twins can help avoid being the AL's worst team two years in a row by replacing the coaching staff with former Twins players.

The current staff has led the Twins to a record of 85-132 since 2011. This season, manager Ron Gardenhire and company lay claim to the least effective pitching staff and the second-least productive offense in the AL.

It is tough to win ball games with lackluster titles like that.

Though not a "cure all" to Minnesota's many issues, these replacements can bring energy, charisma, know-how, passion and positive change that the current staff cannot match. These former Twins include three Hall of Famers, an Olympic gold medalist who also won a Gold Glove and a three-time batting champion. 

This slideshow examines former Twins who would improve the character and potential of Minnesota's current roster and ones to come.

Doug Mientkiewicz: Infield Instructor

A 2001 Gold Glove winner and current hitting coach for the Ogden Raptors, Doug Mientkiewicz spent seven seasons as the Twins first baseman.

Mientkiewicz, who was known for his base hit-robbing dives and error-saving scoops, was a cornerstone for Minnesota's AL leading defense. During his tenure as the full-time 1B (1999, 2001-2004), the Twins statistically had the best defense of any AL team.

Since Mientkiewicz's departure, the Twins dropped to the fifth-best defense through 2005 to 2011, notably having the second-worst AL defense last season.

Perhaps Mientkiewicz's defensive know-how could help restore the Twins defense of the early 2000s.

Bert Blyleven: Pitching Coach

2011 Hall of Fame inductee and open critic of the pitch count, Bert Blyleven would be a healthy addition to the Twins coaching staff. 

Blyleven was a well-conditioned pitcher with great stamina. In fact, a normal Blyleven season consisted of 12 complete games, three shutouts, 7.1 innings per outing and 245 IP.

Generally, those numbers have not been reached by Twins pitchers since the late 1980s to early 1990s.

If hired, Blyleven could rattle a few cages by emphasizing endurance and eliminating the pitch count for starting pitchers. Twins starters have pitched to an 11-27 record, 6.34 ERA and allowed .321/.373/.539—the worst in the AL.

Minnesota needs Bert.

Rod Carew: Hitting Coach

Arguably the best hitter in Twins history, with a career average of .328 (34th all time), 3,053 hits (23rd all time), 2,404 singles (seventh all time) and a 1:1 BB to SO ratio, Rod Carew has been a highly sought-after hitting coach since he retired from playing in 1985.

Following retirement from his playing years, Carew spent eight years with the California/Anaheim Angels (1992-1999) as a hitting coach and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2001) in the same role. Carew also serves as a special adviser to the Twins during spring training.

Carew has the credentials and talent to take over as hitting coach.

Currently, the Twins are have a team .245 average (11th in the AL) and .319 OBP (eighth in the AL). It's time for the Twins to replace Joe Vavra with Rod Carew.

Tony Oliva: Bench Coach

Since 1961, Tony Oliva has been a fixture of the Twins organization. After a 15-year career that included eight all-star games, three batting titles, two notable knee surgeries and one Gold Glove, Tony-O moved into a mentoring role as a base coach and hitting instructor with the Twins organization.  

Like Rod Carew, Oliva spends his springs as a special instructor to the Twins. His warmly charismatic personality and ambassador-like persona, combined with his uncanny baseball experience, make Tony-O a great choice for the Minnesota bench coach.

And a qualified choice, at that.

Paul Molitor: Manager

A Minnesota native who finished his HOF career with the Twins, Paul Molitor was a career.306 hitter who collected 3,319 hits (ninth all time), 605 doubles (11th), 504 stolen bases (37th all time) and 1,782 runs (20th all time).

Following a three-season tenure as the Twins bench coach, Molitor became a front-runner to succeed Tom Kelly as manager after the 2001 season. He eventually withdrew his candidacy because of Commissioner Selig's proposed contraction of the Twins in 2001.

Since then, Molitor has served as a "roving instructor" for the Twins organization, a position in which he spends spring training instructing defense and baserunning to minor league players, and the regular season as a consultant/coach to Twins affiliates.

A Minnesota baseball icon and integral part of the Twins organization, it is time to promote Paul Molitor to manager.