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Ryan is back to his roots

BELOIT — A “fancy title” hasn’t put Terry Ryan far out of the game of baseball.

“In essence, I go out and see games,” the senior advisor to the Minnesota Twins general manager said Wednesday night. “That’s about all I do now.”

The 55-year-old Janesville native was among the “fans” who attended the Winter Snappers Hot Stove Banquet at the Country Club of Beloit. Ryan was the Twins general manager from 1994 to 2007, before stepping down from the position.

Ryan still is a part of the Twins organization, the parent club of the Beloit Snappers, but is back to his roots of player evaluation. He no longer has to worry about signing players and dealing with agents and all the other head-banging aspects of being the No. 1 man on the organization food chain.

He handed that crown to Bill Smith, who was Ryan’s assistant for 13 seasons. Smith and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire were the featured guests at Wednesday night’s event.

Ryan and Smith know each other’s cell numbers.

“Most of it’s personnel,” Ryan says of the conversations between the two. “Or if something that has come to his attention that he hasn’t experienced, he’ll ask my opinion.”

Ryan built a foundation that the Twins used to compete for playoff spots despite a limited budget. The Twins didn’t change last year, going down to the last day for the American League Central title despite losing All-Star pitcher Johan Santana through free agency.

Minnesota relies on getting players through its farm system, which the Snappers have been a part of since the 2005 season. Ryan now spends about eight months of the year looking at high school prospects and Twin draftees in minor league games.

“We had an awful good year with the circumstances of losing all the guys that we did,” Ryan said of the Twins. “We had quite a transition, but we had a good year. We had a lot of things happen that were impressive.”

Minnesota finished 88-74 in the regular season and in a tie with Chicago for first in the AL Central. The White Sox then won the one-game playoff, 1-0, in Chicago to earn the playoff berth.

Without the year-round responsibilities the general manager has, Ryan is able to spend his spare time in a cabin he owns in the Wisconsin Dells area.

“I don’t hunt much, but I try,” Ryan said. “My wife likes it better than I do. My wife’s sister has a place right down the street.”

Ryan gets back down to baseball business Feb. 11. He expects to work through November. So he certainly isn’t retired.

“A lot more than you’d think,” he said of his work schedule. “I see a lot of games. If you want to see a game, you can see one almost any day of the year.”

Ryan gets to Beloit a few times each season, along with visits to the other farm clubs in the Twins’ organization.

After the regular minor league seasons conclude, Ryan scouts the instructional league, and then the fall league.

Starting next month, he’ll be watching high school and college games in preparation for the June draft.

His secret when looking for potential Minnesota Twins? It’s basic.

“If you find the players that have some skills and character,” Ryan said, “you’ll probably be in pretty good shape down the line.”

With Terry Ryan again combing the nation for those types of players, the Twins will likely be in good shape for seasons to come.