Good morning, Camden Chatters.
We have major Orioles news! This is not a drill. The O’s apparently have made their decision on a new manager, reportedly finalizing a deal with Craig Albernaz to be their new skipper,
per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Orioles have not yet made an announcement.’
This was kind of an unexpected hire, which is not to say it’s necessarily a bad one. The O’s, keeping things close to the vest as usual, weren’t even known to have been in contact with Albernaz in their managerial search, as recent media reports focused on their interest in other candidates such as Scott Servais and Albert Pujols. Albernaz, 42, has spent the past two seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, where he served as Stephen Vogt’s bench coach and associate manager. Before that, he worked with the San Francisco Giants as a bullpen and catching coach. Albernaz, a former catcher, played nine professional seasons from 2006-14 but topped out at Triple-A.
While some thought the Orioles might prefer an experienced major league manager this time around, the O’s opted again for a first-timer, as they did when they hired Brandon Hyde in their previous managerial search seven years ago. (Hyde was also a former minor league catcher. The O’s seem to have a type.) Albernaz does at least have some minor league managing experience in the Tampa Bay organization. In 2018 he was named Midwest League Manager of the Year after guiding the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the Rays’ Low-A affiliate at the time, to a 90-49 record.
I honestly don’t know enough about Albernaz to fully evaluate this hire. I’m sure we’ll learn a lot more about him in the coming weeks, and of course the true test will begin when he manages his first real game next March 26. Passan notes that Albernaz was a “widely sought-after candidate” for the several open managerial jobs around MLB, so clearly he’s well respected around the game. And I like the fact that he spent the last two years as second-in-command of a Cleveland team that won the AL Central both years, including one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history this season, when the Guardians rallied back from a once 15.5-game deficit to overtake the Tigers. If Albernaz played some small role in sparking that Guards team, that’s the type of energy the Orioles can certainly use.
Mostly I just like the fact that the O’s hired an outsider who can, hopefully, bring a fresh perspective to the Birds. The Orioles just couldn’t get out of their own way in this dismal 2025 season, and there seemed to be a sort of leadership void in the clubhouse. Albernaz might be able to offer some new ideas and help the Orioles’ talented young players rediscover the best versions of themselves. The Orioles needed to try something different, and hiring Albernaz is certainly that.
Links
In hiring a manager, how vital is experience? – Steve Melewski
This was written before the Orioles’ hiring of Albernaz, obviously. Fortunately Melewski didn’t write, “The Orioles are going to be utterly doomed if they don’t hire someone with previous experience.” That wouldn’t have aged well.
Because You Asked – A Fistful of Dollars – School of Roch
Roch Kubatko tackles reader questions about the O’s manager search, spring training press boxes, Goofy, and PEZ. The offseason is a grab bag of topics, folks.
Should Orioles pursue an ace or look for rotation depth? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
We know which of these paths the Orioles took last offseason, and we saw how it turned out. I’ll take the ace, please.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Five former Orioles were born on this day: infielder Rubén Tejada (36), right-hander Jason Johnson (52), outfielder Pedro Swann (55), left-hander Eric Bell (62), and the late catcher Del Rice (b. 1922, d. 1983), whose 17-year MLB career included a single game with the Orioles in 1960.
On this date in 1972, the Orioles re-acquired catcher Elrod Hendricks from the Cubs, two months after trading him for Tommy Davis. Hendricks had already spent parts of five seasons with the Birds and would go on to play six more, ultimately spending 37 years with the Orioles as a player and coach.
