Beloved former Twins infielder is a candidate for their manager job

The Twins' manager search is heating up this week, and a familiar name is among the latest reported candidates in the mix. Former Twins utility infielder and fan favorite Nick Punto will be interviewed for the role, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin.

Punto, who spent seven seasons with the Twins in a 14-year playing career, coached under recently-retired Padres manager Mike Shildt during the 2025 season. San Diego has granted Minnesota permission to interview Punto as they advance forward in their search for Rocco Baldelli's replacement.

A native of San Diego, Punto was a 21st-round draft pick who carved out a long big-league career in part due to his hustle, grittiness, and versatility. He debuted with the Phillies in 2001 and was traded to the Twins, along with Carlos Silva, for Eric Milton in December 2003.

From 2004 through 2010, Punto played in 747 regular season games in a Twins uniform. His OPS during that stretch was a meager .648. But the 5'9" switch hitter made lots of contact, played hard, stole some bases, and played quality defense at second base, third base, and shortstop. Per Baseball Reference, Punto was worth 10.3 WAR in his seven Twins seasons, including a career-high 3.8 in 2006. But his style of play endeared him to fans far more than any of his statistics. Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen famously described Punto and the Twins as "piranhas."

After becoming a free agent, Punto also played for the Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Athletics, winning a World Series with St. Louis in 2011. Punto has held a variety of coaching roles since his playing career ended, including coaching high school baseball in 2023 and '24.

He only has one year of experience as an assistant coach in the big leagues, but Punto would be an outside-the-box hire that many Twins fans would undoubtedly be excited about. It would certainly signal a focus on toughness and fundamentals as the franchise moves into its next era.

The other three candidates we already knew about are former Pirates coach Derek Shelton, Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, and Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez.

One other name mentioned in Hayes' story: Ryan Flaherty. Just 39 years old, Flaherty played for the Orioles, Braves, and Indians from 2012-19. He began his coaching career with the Padres and rose up the ranks quickly, then spent the last two seasons as the Cubs' bench coach.

Interviews are taking place this week.