Twins make Rocco Baldelli the youngest manager in MLB

There will be a fresh face in the Minnesota Twins' dugout next season.

The club officially announced former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli as its new manager Thursday, making the 37-year-old the youngest bench boss currently employed in Major League Baseball.

After a mitochondrial disorder forced Baldelli to retire from playing in 2011, he continued to work with the Rays as a special assistant to then-executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman (now with the Los Angeles Dodgers).

Baldelli later served as the first base coach on Kevin Cash's staff from 2015-17, before being named major-league field coordinator for the 2018 campaign - a unique role in which he assisted Cash during games and helped coordinate defensive strategies.

In Minnesota, Baldelli is now replacing Paul Molitor, who owned a 305-343 record over four seasons as manager until his firing earlier this month. He was also reportedly a finalist for the Toronto Blue Jays' vacant managerial position.

Baldelli was drafted sixth overall by Tampa Bay in 2000 and went on to appear in six seasons with the franchise. He also spent the 2009 campaign with the Boston Red Sox.