Twins' leadership change feels natural to longtime allies

On Thursday, the Twins made a simple announcement of the official date when their long-awaited leadership transition will take place. As of Monday, longtime team president Dave St. Peter moves into an advisory role, while president of baseball operations Derek Falvey becomes president, baseball and business operations.

There is no press conference, no big to-do. It will be quiet, which is how both men like it.

St. Peter and Falvey have enjoyed a productive and warm partnership ever since Falvey was hired to head up the baseball operations in October 2016. St. Peter explained that his regard for Falvey makes his decision easier. Falvey insists that it is because of St. Peter’s leadership that he is so well-equipped.

“I saw it right away,” Falvey said. “The first connection point, I go through the interview process, and soon after, it was pretty clear to me that when I started working here, Dave was going to be the best ally I could find on the planet.”

The instant regard was mutual.

“When we interviewed Derek and we ultimately decided to offer him the job,” St. Peter said, “there was a discussion at that time privately amongst myself and some Pohlad leaders [the family that owns the Twins] that, who knows, if this guy is what we think he is, he might end up being a great successor to myself in the president role.”

From Falvey’s view, even if that potential existed, it needed to be nurtured. And no one played a bigger role in that development than St. Peter.

“Personally, he’s always been the perfect ally,” Falvey said.

“I’d go to Dave and just say, ‘Hey, what are the things you think I should bubble up to ownership, what are the things that they’re not as interested in and they just kind of want me to navigate?’ And Dave at every turn was there to help me through that. … And so without his partnership and support over the last eight-plus years, going on nine now, I’m not sure that I would have had any success with this group. Just because of the way that he showed up every day.”

Each admires the other’s style of leadership. And while those who know them say there are certainly some differences, Falvey has made it a point to learn from what he considers St. Peter’s greatest skill as a people leader.

“He can be tough on people in terms of, hold them to a high standard, expect a lot out of them, maybe even have a difficult conversation, a direct one,” Falvey said, “and yet find the way afterwards to have his arm around them at the right time and make sure he supports the growth and development. [It’s] less about what he does, more about how those people respond. They feel a level of loyalty to him. They don’t want to let him down. … That’s a really hard thing to do.”

St. Peter has noticed a similar ability to combine a focus on results with concern for the person in Falvey.

“He’s a phenomenal connector of people,” St. Peter said. “He is a very dynamic team builder. And he has a really wonderful knack, a balance of EQ with IQ. The people skills and the likability and the low-ego approach I think endear him to our internal group. It also, I think, helps him with external relations. You match that with an incredibly smart, analytically driven, innovative mind, and he’s the full package.”

And one thing they very much have in common is the degree to which they value the Twins’ organization.

“When you come to Target Field, you get a certain experience in that ballpark,” Falvey explained. “The way you navigate everything from concessions to the kids zone to any experience you have inside the park, it matters so much to him. Because he is at his core a fan. He wants people to have the same experience that they can go home and tell others about. He absolutely reflects what I think every Minnesota Twins fan would want to reflect. The deep care and passion for everything that goes into what we do.”

Even with how much it all means to St. Peter, it is in part because of his trust in Falvey that he is able and willing to step aside at this point.

“Derek’s incredible loyalty to our ownership, and he and his family’s commitment to Minnesota and to specifically our organization, I think has always stood out,” St. Peter said. “There’s no doubt in my mind, I have a great level of confidence, I know what the Minnesota Twins mean to him. Just as I love this organization, I know he loves it just as much and is going to do everything he can within his power to help advance us ultimately toward our goal of winning a world championship.”