Minnesota Twins search for next manager becoming clearer

James Rowson, Minnesota Twins Hitting Coach

While Shelton at least in my eyes appears to be the front runner, Twins hitting coach James Rowson has also received an interview for the open position. Rowson came to Minnesota from the Yankees organization where he served as the minor league hitting coordinator. It was before the 2017 season that he joined the Twins and was part of the staff credited with the teams return to the playoffs.

After great seasons from Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, and a late season surge from Byron Buxton, Rowson received plenty of praise for his work. While we can praise Rowson for his 2017 work, we can also criticize his 2018 work as he looks to become the Twins manager. Those struggles up and down the Twins lineup in 2018 outside of a strong first half from Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar will give many a pause for his manager candidacy.

An area where Rowson would be a home run hire would be in his ability to relate to the players. After having a hand in the development of Yankees hitters like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. Here are some of the praises that Judge sent Rowson’s way:

"“He spoke your same language, which is a tough thing to do when you’re a hitting coach. As a coordinator, you have 200 guys under you, and they all speak different languages with hitting. Some may say, ‘I stay on my back hip’ or ‘I stay on my back side’ or different things. He just always knew how I would say it and he would keep repeating it.”"

That is just the beginning of some of the praise Rowson has received in his work as a hitting coach. In our current culture, a manager that will listen to players may be one of the best traits the Twins could find in their new leader.