Former Major Leaguer Doug Mientkiewicz to manage Fort Myers Miracle in Minnesota Twins’ farm system
Former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz will be taking over the reins of Fort Myers Miracle, a Class-A associate of the Minnesota Twins in the Florida State League as manager of the team. The 38-year-old spent more than half of his 12-year-long career
with the Minnesota ball club.
This will be a first managing experience for Doug. He started his coaching career in 2012 with the Advanced Rookie Ogden Raptors in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Organisation as a hitting coach. He will be returning to the team where he made his Minor League
debut in 1995.
Doug himself was delighted on the occasion and said that he was always interested in managing a team. It’s a cherry on the cake that he got his opportunity with the Twins, the team that drafted him in 1995.
“I always wanted to see if I could be a manager,” Mientkiewicz said. “I always felt like I was a Twin. What I want to do is get it back to where it was when I was there.”
He was approached by the Twins after seeking permission from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Terry Ryan, the general manager for the Twins held discussions with Doug. He was full of respect for Terry. “There’s only one person who I respect as much as Terry Ryan
and that’s my dad,” Mientkiewicz said. “He wanted me to do this.”
Doug was himself an accomplished Major League hitter and had a career average of .271 and an on-base percentage of .360. He had 405 career RBI’s and 66 home-runs as well. He represented a total of seven teams, winning a World Series Championship with the
Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Andrew Seymour, the general manager for the Miracle was looking forward to the energy Mientkiewicz will bring to the team. “I like his fire and passion and energy,” said Seymour. “He’s gonna bring it every day. “
Doug Mientkiewicz should prove to be a good mentor for the Fort Myers Miracle team. He has all the experience in the Majors a good manager will need and now it’s up to him to translate that experience into his mentoring and lead his team to success.
Tags: