By Shanna McCarriston
Derek Falvey has come a long way playing on the East Lynn Little League team, to now having the title of Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and Chief Baseball Officer with the Minnesota Twins. Falvey worked with the Cleveland Indians but his love for baseball goes further back than his MLB days. When asked when his love for baseball began Falvey responded “Whatever my first memory is.” Baseball has been part of his life since the beginning but he never imagined he would be so lucky to make his passion his profession.
Baseball has always been more than just a game to Falvey. “We get a chance that if we build a great team and build a culture we’re looking to build and they do a great job on the field I think it really does impact a region.” He saw it happen in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series and saw it happen in Cleveland last year when the Indians went to the World Series. “Baseball is one of those sports that I think really connects beyond just the game,” Falvey says.
Falvey knows first hand what a difficult business baseball is to get into and feels lucky to have worked for two teams that have embraced him and his family. The Twins and Indians are both family run organizations and with his work he has always preserved this sense of family. His biggest accomplishment has been bringing new ideas and systems to the teams he has worked with while still keeping true to what the team stands for. Players have enjoyed working with him as well. Outfielder Robbie Grossman commented on how smooth the transition has been with Falvey.
The last time Falvey was at Fenway Park was when the Indians played the Red Sox in the American League Division Series and the Indians went on to win and go on to the American League Championship Series. Working in the stadium he grew up just 20 minutes away, Falvey is still amazed he gets to do this for a living, saying, “I never take for granted that I get to walk into a stadium like this everyday and do my job… I get a chance to every day feel like I don’t go to work. I get to do exactly what I want to do. Everyday I get a chance to live my dream.”
Working against the team you spent your childhood rooting for may seem like a tough transition but because how much passion and hard work he puts into his job Falvey found it easier than he had thought. “It was quite the experience to be back in the park that you grew up rooting for the team and be working for the other team, but once you start to jump in with an organization and you’re working everyday to try and make them better your passion gets intertwined with that city and that team.” His family joined the fanbase of the Indians when he was in Cleveland and now the Twins. “I’ve got a lot of people that are wearing Twins gear around the Boston area,” Falvey says, commenting that his parents, sister and wife did not have a hard time making the transition to a new fanbase and have been extremely supportive of him.
Falvey may have made it to the offices of the MLB but he is still thankful and appreciative of what Lynn and the people of Lynn have given him. From East Lynn Little League to Lynn Babe Ruth, there were countless coaches who invested their time to his team and helped him learn the game of baseball. His passion for baseball went with him from Cleveland to Minnesota but it began in Lynn, Massachusetts. When asked who from Lynn made an impact on him, Falvey said he could sit and list of names forever. Looking back on his time with Lynn baseball his favorite memory was when his 13-year-old Babe Ruth All Star team won the state tournament. He says he has many fond memories of the city he used to call home and is still thankful for everything Lynn gave him. “I’m very proud of being from Lynn… While I’ve since long moved out and been in two different states, my roots and heritage will always be from Lynn and I’ll always be incredibly proud of that.”