Terry Ryan On Board With Torii As Twins Successor

The Minnesota Twins have been through some ups and downs in recent seasons, and one of the worst downs the organization experience was having Bill Smith in the general manager position. As Terry Ryan has since taken back over his old post, the reality is that a successor will eventually need to be appointed. Yesterday we learned that Torii Hunter has his eyes on that role, and Ryan seems to be all for it.

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A recent story on MLB.com by Spencer Fordin looks into the possibility of Torii Hunter being the Twins general manager. The unique perspective provided comes from Fordin discussing the matter with the Twins current GM, Ryan.

Originally from Arkansas and now residing in Texas, Torii Hunter is as much a Minnesotan due to his playing days with the Twins as I am. He has become an adopted son of this state, and a future within the organization has always seemed to be something that would make sense. Moving from the diamond into the front office though is a difficult task, and there’s more to it than simply playing fantasy baseball in real life. Terry Ryan is excited about Hunter’s future aspirations however, and seems open to mentoring him along the path.

While it’s apparent that Hunter has long understood the game of baseball from a players perspective, Ryan speaks glowingly of his knowledge surrounding the game. Noting his staying power within baseball, Ryan gets that Hunter has consistently done what it takes to continue to advance his game.

Ryan says, “He’s a good person, No. 1. He’s got a good work ethic and he understands the inner workings of baseball, and the ascension from high school or college into the pro game, and from the pro game into the Major Leagues. And then from the Majors to being able to stay there. All that stuff is good stuff.”

At this point though, Terry Ryan wants the focus to be on the task that both Torii Hunter and the Twins have at hand. The game will always be there once he decides to hang it up, but there’s still plenty that the former centerfielder can bring to the club on the field.

“I’m more interested in telling him to play the game until he’s ready for that type of opportunity. There will be opportunities for him once he gets done in a lot of areas,” Ryan said.

With plenty of reunion stories taking place in the state the past few weeks, adding Hunter to the front office discussion after his playing days seems to follow an already exciting narrative.

Next: Torii Hunter Aiming For The Front Office

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