The Twins decided to part ways with minor league manager Doug Mientkiewicz last weekend.
His firing came as a bit of surprise, considering his teams finished in first place in four of five seasons as a skipper, which also included two league championships.
However, Mientkiewicz is also a bit outspoken at times and is known for being opinionated.
In a follow up interview with MLB insider Jon Heyman, Mientkiewicz acknowledges that his opinion is not for everyone.
“You want to fault me for being passionate, I can live with it,” said Mientkiewicz to Heyman. “I know my personality is not for everyone, and I can rub people the wrong way. But at the end of the day I’d like to think my body of work can overcome that.”
The former Gold Glove winning first baseman understands the game is a business and believes he’ll be able to land another job.
Phil Miller of the Star Tribune noted that it was a minor league executive that called Mientkiewicz to tell him he was fired and not Twins general manager Thad Levine or President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey.
Levine admitted to Heyman that the organization wanted to give the news sooner rather than later, so he wouldn’t miss any outside openings.
“We didn’t view either option as particularly attractive,” said Levine. “We recognize that, and we own that.”
With Mientkiewicz having a winning pedigree, it’s likely he’ll be able to land another gig somewhere.
