Orioles hire Cleveland assistant Craig Albernaz as manager after finishing last in AL East

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The Baltimore Orioles are sticking with youth in their managerial spot, hiring Cleveland assistant Craig Albernaz for that role.

Albernaz, who turns 43 on Thursday, was previously an associate manager with the Guardians. He was promoted to that role after serving as bench coach in 2024.

Albernaz takes over a Baltimore team that still has plenty of potential despite sliding to 75 wins this year and a last-place finish in the AL East. The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde in May, and Tony Mansolino ran the team on an interim basis the rest of the way.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” team president Mike Elias said in a statement Monday. “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.”

Albernaz is about a month younger than Mansolino, and like his predecessor he'll be making his big league managing debut with Baltimore. That was basically the case with Hyde as well. His major league managing experience consisted of one game in an interim role with the Marlins before he began managing the Orioles at age 45 in 2019.

Hyde led Baltimore to a 101-win season and an AL East title in 2023, followed by a wild card in 2024. But what looked like one of baseball's top young teams faltered badly this year. Beset by injuries, pitching problems and stagnation by some important hitters, the Orioles fell behind early in the season and never fully recovered.

It'll now be Albernaz's responsibility to help reverse that trend. Prior to his stint with Cleveland, he was a bullpen and catching coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23. He managed at the Class A level in the Tampa Bay organization in 2017 and 2018, earning Midwest League Manager of the Year honors in 2018 when he won a championship with Bowling Green.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the storied Baltimore Orioles organization,” Albernaz said. “This is a tremendous honor, and I’m grateful to Mike Elias and the entire Orioles team for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this talented club.”

Despite their dreadful 2025 season, the Orioles remain a good opportunity for the new manager. They have a 24-year-old shortstop in Gunnar Henderson, who has already reached a degree of stardom, and infielder Jackson Holliday and catcher Samuel Basallo have plenty of potential. Getting catcher Adley Rutschman back on track would be a big boost as well.

The Toronto Blue Jays went from last place in the AL East in 2024 to the World Series this year. The Orioles will try to do the same in 2026.

Born in Somerset, Massachusetts, Albernaz played at Eckerd College in Florida. He was signed as an undrafted free agent catcher by Tampa Bay and played as high as the Triple-A level.

The Orioles plan to introduce Albernaz during a news conference at Camden Yards on Nov. 4.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB