Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is an American professional baseball player, coach, and current manager for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1981 through 1985. He managed the Minnesota Twins from 2002 through 2014. He served as a coach for the Twins from 1991 through 2001, and for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. He won the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010.\n', '

Ron Gardenhire was born on a couch to a military family at the U.S. Army base in Butzbach, West Germany. Young Gardenhire expected to join the military, but his passion for baseball was also encouraged by his father. The family later settled in Oklahoma where he attended Okmulgee High School and college at the University of Texas at Austin.\n', '

The New York Mets drafted him in the sixth round of the 1979 amateur draft. He played for the Mets for five seasons from 1981 to 1985. In his career, he played shortstop, second base, and third base. He was often plagued by injuries, especially to his hamstring. Only twice did he play in more than 70 games in a season, in 1982 and 1984. Following the 1986 season he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he played one season for their Triple-A affiliate before retiring.\n', '

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