CONTRIBUTED BY CODY KREINER

Following another disappointing season, the Twins will go into the rebuilding stage once again, except this time they shift their off-season focus on the coaching staff. The future of the Twins’ success hinges on the selection of their new manager. That sounds dramatic, but with all the young talent the Twins have on their 40-man roster they need a manager who can impact the culture now to sustain a winning team for many years to come.

In the past few years, some of baseball’s best managers rode off into the sunset. Managers Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals), Jim Leyland (Detroit Tigers), and Bobby Cox (Atlanta Braves) were among these notable retirees. The managers who replaced these greats all inherited ball clubs that knew how to win because it was intertwined in their culture for so many years.

The Twins must find a manager willing to teach young players how to win and, in the process, help these youngsters produce beyond their potential. Although Ozzie Guillen is a well-established manager not only in this league but also in the AL Central, in my opinion, he is not the best choice for the Twins. He was barely above .500 in his career, and sitting in the clubhouse after being tossed from a game does not help teach a team of youngsters how to finish a game in the ninth inning. Fire and passion are a great thing to have in baseball, but it is not the best way to be consistent winners.

The Ignitor burns with a different flame. He may not be an established manager yet, but the potential is infinite, much like that of the players who are going to be playing at Target Field this upcoming year. Being successful at a high level and being comfortable with the players in an environment that he is familiar with gives Molitor a great edge over Guillen in my mind. With Guillen you know what you are going to get, but with Molitor there is the unknown factor that might be the spark the Twins need.

Are either of these two options the best choice to be the new skipper of the Twins organization?

The answer is no. In my mind, the best available option for the Twins is Dino Ebel. Who, you ask? He is the current bench coach for the Angels and is one of the top candidates for the Houston Astros manager opening. My reasons for thinking Ebel is the best option for the Twins are that he has shown success in the minors as a manager for the Dodgers farm system. He is known as an excellent teacher who has coached and managed in many different roles within the Angels organization.

The biggest reason is that he has coached under Mike Scioscia. The roots of Mike Scioscia’s former coaches branch to three current managers that have shown success at the major league level. Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay Rays), Bud Black (San Diego Padres), and Ron Roenicke (Milwaukee Brewers) are all current major league managers that have coached under Mike Scioscia. Scioscia teaches consistency, fundamentals, and winning much like the current managers who once coached alongside the longest tenured manager in baseball. These traits are the definition of the team the Minnesota Twins need to become.