McAdam: After watching Cora closely, rookie Twins manager Rocco Baldelli out to make his mark

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- There must be times when Rocco Baldelli feels tempted to silently curse the success of Alex Cora.

A franchise-record 108 wins, a World Series title ... all in his first year in the dugout. Hey, how hard can this managing gig be?

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Cora may have set the bar absurdly high for all rookie managers in the big leagues, but Baldelli, hired last winter as manager of the Minnesota Twins, is eager to take on the challenge. The Rhode Island native — and member of the 2009 Red Sox -- has his own ideas and can't wait to put his own stamp on his new team.

"We've spent a lot of time (preparing for) spring training,'' said Baldelli before his Twins dropped an 8-5 decision to the Red Sox at jetBlue Park, "focusing on a lot of different things and re-looking at some things. ''

Baldelli has been around the game his entire life -- as a standout high schooler who was drafted in the first round, to a seven-year career in the big leagues, and assorted roles since his playing career ended. Despite that background, being in charge of his own team is a wholly different experience.

"It's certainly a different way to watch the game and think about the game,'' he conceded. "No matter how much you prepare yourself for it, it's definitely different. There are a lot of things going on. No matter what role you have in the game, you watch the game in a different way. As a player, you watch the game one way. A scout watches the game in a completely different way. And when you start coaching, you're thinking about totally different things. Your eyes are on totally different things.''

In the early going, Baldelli has been stressing simplicity and the importance of communications, while trying to promote an atmosphere in which players are "open-minded to thinking about things and thinking about their mindset a little differently. It's also important for the guys to be themselves, show some personality and maybe take ownership of what they do on a daily basis.''

Though just 37 and one of the youngest managers in the game, Baldelli intends to blend what he learned from an array of managers for whom he played or worked: Lou Piniella, Joe Maddon, Terry Francona and Kevin Cash.

"I definitely feel really fortunate to have been around the guys that I have,'' he said. "You really do hope to take some pieces of all of those guys. There are a lot of things that you want to take from the older, more experienced managers. Experience matters. Lou handled things much differently than the other guys, but he was effective in a lot of ways. He was very direct and what you learn is that sometimes, that's the best approach.''

From a distance but within the same division a year ago, he watched Cora put his imprint on the 2018 Red Sox and, predictably, came away impressed.

"You're watching from afar,'' said Baldelli, "so you don't always know exactly what's going on, but it was very apparent that the Red Sox team came together very well and I think that comes from Alex and the staff -- setting the tone, setting expectations. That was one of the best ballclubs that I've seen on the field in a lot of ways, both talent-wise and the way they came together. You can look across the field and see how they pulled for each other. If you weren't competing against them, you would say it was a beautiful thing to watch.

"That starts with Alex and the staff. The example he sets and the way he conducts himself on a daily basis, he's a professional. You can tell that everyone over there respects him immensely.''

Though his stay in Boston and time playing for Francona was brief, Baldelli is part of a growing list of former Francona players who went on to manage. Others include Cash, Dave Roberts and Gabe Kapler, all of whom can trace their managerial beginnings, indirectly at least, to Francona.

"I think Tito was an important part in a lot of that,'' agreed Baldelli. "Although the on-field part of it probably wasn't ideal for a lot of reasons, setting all of that aside, I had a great experience in Boston. I really enjoyed playing for Tito. He taught me a lot, just spending time around him. He creates an environment that guys play in and they want to play for him.

"There was a lot impressed upon me in just that one year.''