Toby Gardenhire Is Following in His Father's Footsteps

[Lucas Seehafer PT]

Even though he is now 38 years old, Toby Gardenhire is still making memories while playing catch with his dad. The most recent round of toss isn’t going to be one that either father or son will soon forget.“I was pretty cool. Not everybody gets the chance to [throw out] Opening Day first pitch, stuff like that. To catch it, to throw it, whatever, it’s a really cool experience,” Gardenhire said on a blustery Sunday afternoon following a St. Paul Saints’ workout and simulated game at CHS Field. “It’s pretty special for my dad too, because he was with this organization for a very long time. It means a lot to him that they still think of him in that way.”

 

Gardenhire’s father is, of course, former Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire, who accumulated 1,200 wins over the course of a 16-year managerial career; he also served as the Twins’ third base coach from 1991 until 2001, after managing in the minor leagues for three seasons. The elder Gardenhire retired last September, electing to focus on his health after suffering from multiple stomach ailments during a season played as a one-in-a-generation global pandemic raged.

 

Gardenhire the Younger — a 41st-round pick in the 2005 draft by the Twins — always knew that he’d follow in his father’s footsteps when his playing days ended. He retired after the 2011 season, reaching as high as AAA Rochester, before heading to the University of Wisconsin, Stout to coach at the collegiate level. Five seasons later, he reunited with the Twins as a hitting coach in the lower levels of their farm system. He now finds himself back in AAA, this time in St. Paul as the manager of the newly adopted Saints.

 

“I always knew I was going to coach at some point. [baseball] has pretty much been my whole life. I grew up at the ballpark, when I was a kid I was at the ballpark, I [wouldn’t] even know what to do with myself if I wasn’t coming to the ballpark all the time,” Gardenhire said. “The managing thing just kind of seemed like the best fit. When I started coaching, I was at the University of Wisconsin, Stout as the head coach for a few years, then I went in as a hitting coach for a little bit, but I always knew I’d end up being a manager at some point.”

 

Managing in the minors is different than doing so at the MLB level. The goal of MLB managers is to simply to win, baby, win. Legacies are based on championship banners hung and consecutive postseason appearances, with firings occurring when either fails to manifest. In the minors, the story is different. It’s the manager’s job to make sure that his athletes are ready for the Big Show when their numbers are finally called.

 

“A lot of it is about development, especially at the lower levels. You’re trying to develop kids, so putting the best lineup on the field isn’t always what you’re doing. There’s times when you’re not putting the best guys out there or you’re putting guys in positions that they’re not the most comfortable in,” Gardenhire said. “It’s about trying to develop those guys, so that when they do get up to the Big Leagues, they’re ready for whatever gets thrown at them. It’s a lot about development at the lower levels. As you get going up, then it’s not as much. Then you’re trying to win more games and stuff like that.”

 

Gardenhire is in a unique spot as the Twins’ AAA manager in that not only is he charged with winning more than his lower-level compatriots, but also tasked with developing the Alex Kirilloffs and Trevor Larnachs of the organization. Additionally, the actions he takes as manager are very much dependent on what is going on across the river at any given moment.

 

“The other big thing about it is, what we do [in AAA], a lot of it is based on what happens with the Big League team. The Big League team throws a couple of pitchers, then all of a sudden we have to change the pitchers we throw because of that,” Gardenhire said. “You always have to have somebody on standby basically, ready to go out there in case something happens. We’re constantly watching the Twins games and watching the box scores, talking to their coaches and making sure that we have guys ready to be slotted in whenever they’re needed.”

 

Gardenhire and the rest of the Saints organization are in discussions with the Twins and their front office on a daily basis, planning out potential call-ups or other roster moves in the event of an injury or earned promotion. Rarely does any move occur without Gardenhire having at least some prior knowledge of what may soon be on the horizon, but it’s his job to be ready to adjust his lineup or pitching rotation at the drop of a hat.

 

The Saints open their season on May 4 in Omaha for a six-game series before making their home debut one week later against Iowa. Tickets are available for purchase.

 

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[DocBauer]

Great article, I only wish it was longer.

 

A lot of it is about development, especially at the lower levels. You’re trying to develop kids, so putting the best lineup on the field isn’t always what you’re doing. There’s times when you’re not putting the best guys out there or you’re putting guys in positions that they’re not the most comfortable in,” Gardenhire said. “It’s about trying to develop those guys, so that when they do get up to the Big Leagues, they’re ready for whatever gets thrown at them. It’s a lot about development at the lower levels. As you get going up, then it’s not as much. Then you’re trying to win more games and stuff like that.”

 

I really liked Toby's comments and perspective here.

 

If he can bring all of his player perspectives and coaching perspectives together, he could be a very interesting amalgam of old ways of doing things and new school analytics. He's not the AAA manager due to nepotism. I think we know the FO better than that. I'm excited to see what he does and accomplishes in his role.

 

Bench coach at the ML level in a year or two??

[Richard Swerdlick]

Does anyone know if the Saints games will be on radio or tv ?A few years ago I subscribed to MILB TV as all the AA and AAA games were televised with radio simulcast.