Rocco Baldelli

In 2005, Baldelli\'s career was derailed by a rare metabolic/muscular disorder that caused frequent soft tissue injuries, fatigue, and other ailments. He was unable to play in 2005, and missed significant time over the following seasons as doctors struggled to diagnose and treat his condition. From 2005 until his retirement, the former everyday center fielder spent long stretches on the disabled list and appeared in half of his team\'s games only once — in 2006, when he appeared in 92 games. The Rays did not renew his contract, after the 2008 season and Baldelli signed a free-agent contract with his hometown Boston Red Sox, for 2009, appearing in 62 games as a backup outfielder and part-time designated hitter. He considered retirement and 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 appeared in 10 games during the last month of the regular season. However, severe muscle cramping during the 2010 playoffs forced him off the team\'s active roster, at which point he ended his playing career age 29.\n', ' 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. In October 2018, Baldelli was named the manager of the Minnesota Twins.\n', ' Rocco Dan 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 excelled in the classroom as well. There he posted a 4.25 grade point average. On the SAT, he scored 1300, and considered attending UNC, Wake Forest, Princeton and Yale. He was also a four sport star, earning all-state honors in baseball, indoor track, basketball, and volleyball.\n', '