Rocco Daniel Baldelli (; born September 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, coach and manager, who is currently an executive in the baseball operations department of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a player, Baldelli quickly progressed through the minor leagues and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on opening day in 2003. Baldelli quickly established himself as an excellent hitter and outfielder, and placed third in voting for American League (AL) Rookie of the Year. He also played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox.
In 2005, Baldelli's promising career was derailed by channelopathy, a rare metabolic/muscular disorder which causes frequent soft tissue injuries and severe fatigue. He was unable to play at all in 2005 and missed significant time over the following seasons as doctors struggled to diagnose and treat his condition; from 2005 until his retirement in 2010, the former everyday center fielder spent long stretches on the disabled list and only once appeared in more than half of his team's games. Baldelli signed a free-agent contract with his hometown Red Sox in 2009 and appeared in 62 games as a backup outfielder and part-time designated hitter. Unsure if he was physically capable of continuing his playing career, he returned to the Rays organization as a minor league coach in December 2009. As the 2010 season progressed, he decided to attempt another comeback and began rehabbing in the Rays' minor league system. Baldelli returned to the major leagues in September and hit a pinch-hit home run in his first at-bat. He appeared in 10 games over the last month of the regular season and was included on the Rays' playoff roster, but severe muscle cramping during the team's first round series forced him out of the lineup, at which point he decided to end his playing career at age 29.
After retiring as a player, Baldelli spent three years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization as a roving minor league instructor and special assistant to baseball operations. He was named the club's first base coach before the 2014 season and was promoted to major league field coordinator in November 2017.
Baldelli was named manager of the Minnesota Twins after the 2018 season. In 2019, he led them to 101 wins and an AL Central Division title and was named the 2019 American League manager of the year. At 38 years old, he was the youngest manager to win the award. He remained with the Twins through the 2025 season when he was fired from the position.
Rocco Daniel Baldelli was born to Dan and Michele Baldelli in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Rocco Baldelli attended the PEGASUS Gifted and Talented middle-school program at La Salle Academy in Providence. He played baseball for the Rhode Island Tides, an AAU ball club. Then he switched to Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, for high school. During his senior year at Bishop Hendricken High School, he pulled his oblique muscle, but still managed to hit .531-5-13 with nine steals in only 32 at-bats. Not only did Baldelli excel at sports, but in the classroom as well. There he posted a 4.25 grade point average. On the SAT, he scored 1300, and considered attending University of North Carolina, Wake Forest University, Princeton University and Yale University. He was also a four sport star, earning all-state honors in baseball, indoor track, basketball, and volleyball.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked Baldelli in the first round (6th overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft, so he decided to decline an athletic scholarship offer from Wake Forest and signed with Tampa Bay for $2.25 million. He began his professional career with the Princeton Devil Rays, the team's High Rookie League affiliate.
Initially, Baldelli had to adjust to professional baseball. Says Baldelli, "In Princeton, I had a hard time with all parts of the game…I didn't know how to play the game. Coming out of high school, I'd just come up to the plate and swing as hard as I could every time and try to smoke the ball. I didn't know about hitting mechanics, breaking pitches or reading pitchers."
Baldelli overcame his struggles as a hitter and quickly rose through the Tampa Bay organization. In 2000, he was ranked the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' ninth-best prospect. In 2001, he was considered the fifth-best prospect in the organization. By 2002, just two years after being drafted sixth overall, he won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Tampa Bay Rays
Baldelli made his major league debut on Opening Day 2003, starting in center field. He and fellow rookie outfielder Carl Crawford would be two of the few bright spots on a Devil Rays team that lost 91 games. Baldelli finished the 2003 season batting .289 with 11 home runs, 78 RBI, 89 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. He also finished in the top ten in many hitting categories in the American League. He was seventh in at bats with 637, tenth in hits 184, tied Ichiro Suzuki in eighth place with eight triples, and fourth in singles with 133.
He also led the AL in outfield assists and ranked 2nd in range factor, indicating that he was one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. Baldelli came in third in the voting for 2003 AL Rookie of the Year behind New York Yankees' outfielder Hideki Matsui and winner Ángel Berroa of the Kansas City Royals.
Baldelli had a similar sophomore campaign in 2004, batting .280 with 16 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 79 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. His defensive statistics were again among the league's best, as he led the AL in range factor and finished 4th in outfield assists.
2005–06: Injuries and renewed success
Baldelli started the 2005 season on the disabled list after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament over the offseason while playing baseball with his brother. He had surgery and was expected to be back by the All-Star break. However, he seriously injured his elbow while working out and needed Tommy John surgery to fix the damage, which led to months more rehabilitation.
After missing almost a full season and a half, Baldelli returned to the D-Rays' lineup against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on June 7, 2006. Baldelli was a regular starter in the outfield for the rest of the 2006 campaign and had his best statistical season, hitting .302 with 16 home runs, 57 runs batted in, 57 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in only 364 at bats and again appearing among the league leaders in multiple defensive categories.
In spring training before the 2007 season, Baldelli pulled his hamstring. The injury lingered, but Baldelli attempted to play, appearing in 35 games (15 as a designated hitter) and posting only a .204 batting average. He aggravated his hamstring in May and was placed on the DL on May 17. Doctors recommended a period of rest, after which Baldelli reported to the minor leagues for a rehab assignment. After several games, he injured his hamstring yet again and was shut down for the remainder of the 2007 season.
After these setbacks, Baldelli underwent extensive medical testing to determine the reasons for his muscle problems and worsening fatigue after even brief workouts. Doctors discovered some "metabolic and/or mitochondrial abnormalities" and began trying to design a medical plan to improve the condition.
Baldelli attempted to return to game action during spring training in 2008, but his continuing physical problems made it impossible. On March 12, he held an emotional press conference in which he announced that he would be once again placed on the disabled list as he tried to find an effective treatment for his mysterious ailment. Though he did not retire, the future of his baseball career was in doubt. Accordingly, on April 1, 2008, the Rays declined Baldelli's contract option for the following season (2009), potentially making him a free agent after the season.