Craig Albernaz will inherit an Orioles team that finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record. Matt Blewett / Imagn Images
Craig Albernaz’s meteoric rise through the major-league coaching ranks has found its end, as the 42-year-old was named the next manager of the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles announced the hiring officially on Monday. The Massachusetts native will inherit an Orioles team that bottomed out in 2025, finishing with a 75-87 record after winning the AL East in 2023 and earning a Wild Card Series berth in 2024.
“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said in a statement issued by the team. “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.”
A nine-year career minor leaguer, Albernaz first began his coaching career in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays, going from catching coach to manager of the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods, with whom he was named Midwest League Manager of the Year in 2018. In 2020, he joined the San Francisco Giants as a bullpen and catching coach, a position he held for four seasons.
Albernaz was a finalist for the Cleveland Guardians’ open managerial position following Terry Francona’s retirement, but the club hired Albernaz’s close friend Stephen Vogt instead. Albernaz ultimately joined Vogt’s staff as a bench coach before being promoted to associate manager in 2024.
Last winter, Albernaz turned down opportunities to manage the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins, positions that went to Will Venable and Clayton McCullough.
Now, he’ll join an AL East division that features managers John Schneider (Toronto Blue Jays), Alex Cora (Boston Red Sox), Aaron Boone (New York Yankees) and Kevin Cash (Rays), all of whom have led their respective clubs to American League pennants in recent years.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the storied Baltimore Orioles organization,” Albernaz said in the team statement. “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.”
Oct 28, 2025
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