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

The Baltimore Orioles have hired Craig Albernaz as their manager.

Albernaz, who turns 43 on Thursday, was previously an associate manager with the Cleveland 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.

Baltimore announced the move Monday.

“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. “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.”

Prior to his stint with Cleveland, Albernaz 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.”

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 will introduce Albernaz during a news conference at Camden Yards on Nov. 4.

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

Noah Trister, The Associated Press