The Baltimore Orioles announced on October 27, that Craig Albernaz will become the team’s next manager, marking a significant shift in leadership and strategy. With the Orioles coming off a disappointing 75-87 season, the hire signals a renewed emphasis on youth development, coaching acumen, and organizational identity.
Albernaz, 43, brings to the table a resume that includes catching in the minor leagues, coaching in the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants systems, and most recently serving as bench coach and associate manager for the Cleveland Guardians. The Orioles’ front office clearly views him as the right leader to guide a talented, yet faltering, young core back toward contention.
“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias said. “Craig has built an exemplary career across multiple successful organizations and brings a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and talent to our organization and to this new challenge.
“We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series championship.”
Background & Career Path
Albernaz’s playing career was modest but important to his eventual coaching trajectory. He signed as a free agent with the Rays in 2006, spending parts of eight seasons in the minors as a catcher (and even some time with the Detroit Tigers’ organization).
After moving into coaching in 2015, he quickly rose through the ranks: managing at the High-A level, then serving as minor league field coordinator, before reaching the major leagues as a bullpen/catching coach with the Giants in 2020.
In 2024, he joined the Guardians as bench coach. Then, during the 2025 season, he was promoted to associate manager–giving him broader responsibilities and exposure at the big-league level. That combination of on-field, developmental and coaching experience made him a leading candidate for multiple managerial openings around the league.
Why the Orioles Think He’s the Right Choice
Baltimore’s decision to hire Albernaz is rooted in several strategic priorities:
1. Emphasis on Youth and Development:
The Orioles have a young core filled with players like Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman–all with high ceilings but inconsistent performance in 2025. Albernaz has a strong reputation for connecting with others, understanding catcher’s-perspective strategy and building culture.
“He’s got a great personality that clicks,” former Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “A great coach or manager has to be a great listener, and I think that’s one of his best qualities. And then beyond that, always had good questions. Always had good questions. Like I said, just paid attention–paid attention to detail. Fun guy. Easy to be with.”
2. Culture Reset after a Down Year:
After a dominant 101-win season in 2023 and a playoff appearance in 2024, the Orioles fell to last place in the AL East with 75 wins in 2025. The front office appears intent on resetting expectations and reaffirming organizational identity–emphasizing coaching, process and fundamentals over flash. Albernaz’s background fits this mold.
3. Blend of Coaching Experience & Recent Big-League Credentials:
While he lacks long tenure as a major-league manager, Albernaz’s rapid rise through respected systems shows adaptability and broad exposure to modern MLB strategies (analytics, player-development, bullpen management). These qualities give him credibility, and the Orioles are banking on them to catalyze improvement.
The Challenges That Await
While there’s reason for optimism, Albernaz steps into a difficult situation:
-
Translating Coaching to Managing: Being a bench coach or minor league skipper is different from being the manager with full responsibility for strategy, player relations and media scrutiny. This will be Albernaz’s first official major league managerial role.
-
Fixing a Slumping Team: The 2025 Orioles underperformed despite talent. They’ll need more consistency from both the pitching staff and offense. Albernaz inherits players who might need re-energizing and structure.
-
Expectations vs. Patience: Although improvement is required, the young core still has distance to go. The front office must resist impatience and support Albernaz’s process, or risk disruption.
-
Managing the East’s Competition: The AL East remains one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Turning a down season into a serious contender requires both internal growth and strategic external moves.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Orioles Hire New Manager to Lead Franchise into Fresh Era appeared first on Heavy Sports.