Ron "Gardy" Gardenhireis a former Major League Baseball shortstop for the New York Mets and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.

He played five seasons of baseball in the National League with the New York Mets from 1981 to 1985. The Mets drafted him in the sixth round of the 1979 amateur draft. In his career, he played shortstop, second base and third base. Following the 1986 season he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where he played one season for their Triple-A affiliate before retiring.

For three years after he retired, he was a manager in the Minnesota farm system, leading teams in the Class A Midwest League and Class AA Southern League to one second- and two first-place finishes. In 1991, Gardenhire became the Twins' third base coach and held that post for 11 full seasons, including the team's 1991 World Series championship.

In 2002, Gardenhire was named manager of the Twins. Despite his reputation for being aggressive, Gardenhire won the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2010 and has finished as runner-up five times while leading the Twins.

Baseball, Minnesota,