The last time Minnesota had a rookie manager lead it to the American League West title was in 1969. The manager was Billy Martin, who has gone on to bigger, although not always better, things.
Eighteen years later, the Twins have another rookie manager who has a shot at leading them to the division championship. His name is Tom Kelly.
The parallel ends there. Don`t look for Kelly to be showing up on any beer commercials or to be in any fights with marshmallow salesmen. Kelly is as mild as Martin is wild.
He isn`t interested in style. He`s a bottom-line guy. All that matters to him now is that the Twins are on the top line in the West.
Minnesota has made a dramatic turnaround from last year`s 71-91 mark, bad enough for sixth place. The Twins, or ”Kelly`s Heroes,” have assumed control in the West, and if their pitching holds out, they should be playing baseball under the dome in October.
Much of the credit is being given to Kelly, who at 36 is the youngest manager in baseball.
”Anytime you have a team that goes from 20 games under to first place, there`s more than one reason,” said General Manager Andy MacPhail, who promoted Kelly from third-base coach late last season. ”If you look at it, a lot of the turnaround has to do with Tom Kelly.”
But when asked how much credit he deserves for the Twins` success, Kelly said: ”I don`t think I`ve been that important. If you don`t pitch good, it doesn`t matter who you are.”
Indeed, Kelly won`t win any contests for the most quotable quote. Even MacPhail said: ”It`s hard to identify what makes him successful. But wherever he`s managed (in the minors), he`s been successful.”
On the surface, Kelly seems very plain, very unassuming. But he doesn`t manage that way.
He`s a gambling manager, and most of his gambles have paid off this year. He likes to hit and run, regardless of who is at the plate and who is running. He has the Twins trying to steal more than ever. He`ll give a punch hitter such as shortstop Greg Gagne the green light on a 3-0 pitch.
Kelly must be pushing the right buttons, because he has the Twins believing in themselves.
”He`s on the same wavelength as us,” said third baseman Gary Gaetti, comparing Kelly to last year`s manager, Ray Miller. ”Ray was on a different level, and he didn`t really motivate the players. If you do things right on the field, that`s all that matters. It`s nice coming to the park knowing you`re going to have a real good chance to win.”
”He`s a players` manager,” MacPhail said. ”They want to play for Tom.”
Kelly seems to have every player playing up to his potential. It has been a collective effort.
Center-fielder Kirby Puckett, of course, is having another all-star year. But he hasn`t been alone in carrying the Twins.
Tom Brunansky got hot for a spell in May, delivering some big blows. Kent Hrbek is reliable at first, and Gaetti is steady at third. Even catcher Tim Laudner, who had been struggling at .180, came through with a game-winning homer against the White Sox last Friday.
”Last year, we had a couple of guys have career years (Puckett and Gaetti), and we still finished badly,” MacPhail said. ”The difference this year is that it`s been a different guy doing it every day.”
The ultimate difference, though, will be the Twins` pitching staff. MacPhail bolstered the rotation with the acquisition of Joe Niekro from New York, but they still need solid work from Bert Blyleven, Frank Viola and Mike Smithson.
The bullpen also is shaky. Former Expo Jeff Reardon has been unsteady with an earned-run average of 6.11. But Juan Berenguer (5-0) has filled a big void out of the pen.
”If we pitch good, play decent, we`ve got a chance,” Kelly said.
That`s a monologue for Kelly, who lets his team do the talking.
