Calling the Pen: Not the best time for Orioles to announce Albernaz is coming back

This wasn’t a good weekend to announce that Craig Albernaz would be returning as manager.

The announcement was made as awkwardly as Rece Hinds’ attempt to catch a fly ball by Joey Ortiz that he misplayed into a triple. President of baseball operations Mike Elias said that Albernaz would be getting a second season after he assumed that he would be getting a ninth. It’s probably more than an assumption on Elias’s part, even though 2026 has turned out to be a lot like 2025.

It brought me back to a season-long question I’ve had as the Orioles have have produced a series of ups and downs but no consistency in underperforming for a second straight year: Why did Elias hire a manager who had never managed before for a crucial season?

I’m not blaming Albernaz for an Orioles decline that inexplicably began during the second half of 2024 when they appeared to be taking off, but it’s natural to wonder why Elias took a risk on a first-year manager when his job appeared to be in question. Maybe that’s because he knew it wasn’t even before the team’s continued decline.

I liked the hiring of Brandon Hyde back in 2018, when Elias was investing in the future while allowing the team to lose more than 100 games in three out of four seasons (the shortened 2020 Covid season not included). Hyde took the hits for his players while remaining steadfast and steered a turnaround sooner than expected with 83 wins in 2022. That was followed a division-winning 101 victories in 2023 but a bitter aftertaste when the Orioles were swept from the playoffs by the Rangers.

The Orioles appeared to be the best team in baseball in the first half of 2024, posting a 58-38 record at the All-Star break. They struggled to the finish line and were swept out of the playoffs for a second straight season when they scored just one run against the Royals. They haven’t been able to duplicate their success since.

When they started 2025 with a 15-28 record, Hyde was fired on Preakness Day. There was symbolism because catcher Adley Rutschman, whose arrival signaled a new beginning, made his debut on Preakness Day just three years earlier. Tony Mansolino guided the Orioles home but wasn’t a consideration for 2026.

Instead, Elias chose Albernaz, who had served as bench coach with the Guardians after stints with the Giants and Rays. Nothing wrong with his credentials, New England accent or toughness — he was back in the dugout after taking a foul ball off the jaw — but he hadn’t been a major league manager and this was considered a make-or-break year for a team that had added slugger Pete Alonso, whose 38 home runs and 105 RBIs have made his five-year, $155 million contract look like a bargain and Elias look smart for bringing him to Baltimore.

The hiring of the 43-year-old Albernaz might turn out to be the find Elias anticipated but with a 75-80 record that puts them at the bottom of the American League East again, his first season has been underwhelming. The losses to the Brewers on Friday and Saturday haven’t helped.

The first head-scratching decision came on Friday night in a game the Orioles would tie in the bottom of the ninth before losing, 6-5, in the 10th.

In the bottom of the seventh with Gunnar Henderson at second and Coby Mayo at first, Samuel Basallo tried to bunt. After two unsuccessful attempts and a foul, he struck out.

“He came up to me when Coby was on second base, and he was like, ‘Hey, if it’s first and second, can I bunt?,’” Albernaz said. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’ It was a tough lefty matchup. I get where he was coming from, and Sammy had a great team at-bat earlier in the game, getting a runner over to third. And against that matchup, you know, he wanted to bunt, and I was all for it.”

Basallo has never sacrificed in the major leagues, and it seemed like the time to say no. It seemed like the time to remind Basallo that he can hit left-handers as well as right-handers, and that we want you to swing away rather than giving up an out, which he did without advancing the runners.

In the 10th, with automatic runner Heston Kjerstad at second, Albernaz decided not to bunt with leadoff batter Jeremiah Jackson, who has one sacrifice in his two-season major league career. In that situation, though, Albernaz knew he needed one run to tie the game for a team clinging to its wild-card chances.

“Playing for the tie, that’s always the decision as the home team,” Albernaz said. “You kind of always have the advantage when you’re the road team in that situation. We felt more comfortable with J.J. swinging than getting the bunt down, and we all talked, and we liked the matchup and taking our shot to win the game.”

Jackson struck out, and the home team is the one that knows what it needs when it comes to bat.

That was a tough loss for a team that struggles to do the little things, but Saturday’s 1-0 setback was more galling, and it didn’t reflect well on Albernaz again.

He started an outfield of Hinds, Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras. As our Oriole writer, Rich Dubroff, pointed out: The Orioles won’t win many games with an outfield of Franklin, Hinds and Taveras.

It was another example of over-analytics. Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers, better players and better outfielders, were on the bench because they hit left-handed. All those right-handed hitters produced zero runs, wasting a dominant start by Trevor Rogers, who gave up three hits in eight innings and struck out 10.

One of those hits was the Oritz triple that was scored that way because Hinds appeared to lose the ball in the sun. Albernaz, who usually defends his players, revealed his frustration after the game.

“He didn’t have sunglasses at all,” he said about Hinds. “And the sun was in right field. Pretty frustrating … it was overcast to start, but it was a 4 o’clock game. I thought you would have some sunglasses.”

I would have thought someone — Albernaz or one of his coaches — would have noticed Hinds didn’t have his sunglasses. It wasn’t a good look for all involved, especially a team that is supposed to be playing meaningful games.

Rich was asked this week how he would assess Albernaz, who didn’t construct the roster but has had trouble getting it to perform. Here’s what Rich had to say:

“I think he’s improved as a manager, particularly in the six weeks since the trade deadline. There have been fewer errors and fewer fundamental mistakes … I think he’s done a good job in managing the bullpen and getting the best out of inexperienced major league relievers, Josh Walker, Cam Sanders, Alex Hoppe and Luis De León. The Orioles haven’t had a legitimate closer, and I think he’s maneuvered around that.

“I think he sometimes overplays the left/right matchup, but I think that with all the injuries they’ve had, he hasn’t done badly.

“If you look at the managers hired for this season, only Skip Schumaker with Texas, Minnesota’s Derek Shelton and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss had managed other teams. Other teams, including the Angels (Kurt Suzuki), Giants (Tony Vitello), Padres (Craig Stammen) and Nationals (Blake Butera) hadn’t coached or managed in the big leagues. Albernaz was considered a logical choice by many in baseball because he had experience working in progressive organizations — Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco.

“I’m eager to see how different a manager he’ll be in 2027 when there will be higher expectations in his second year.”

I’m wondering what it will take to untie all the knots from this season. Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Cowser have taken a step back. Elias acknowledged that he’s asked a lot about why the young core hasn’t shown the progression that was expected.

Henderson’s season has been mystifying but not totally discouraging. He plays hard every single day, has made a number of sensational defensive plays and still shows signs on offense that he’ll regain his form. He’s an elite athlete who is likely to be an impact player again.

Holliday had surgery on his right wrist, started late and was used as a platoon when he first came back. The wrist inflammation has returned, and it’s likely it’s been there throughout the season. At 22, it’s far too early to think he won’t become a star.

Cowser was put behind Taveras early in the season, a mistake on Albernaz’s part. He’s a superior centerfielder who won a game with his glove and two with dramatic home runs. He might never be the all-around player the Orioles envisioned, but the constant platooning doesn’t help a player’s confidence.

Coby Mayo has hit 16 of his 24 home runs against left-handers but is showing that he can hit right-handers, as well. His bat speed and power are exceptional and he’s a good enough athlete — as his inside-the-park home run demonstrated —  to try him in the outfield next season. Basallo has had a poor second half, but it has more to do with plate discipline than who’s pitching. Albernaz publicly questioned his toughness earlier in the season, which was another miscue, but it appears both have moved on.

The Orioles don’t plan to move on from Albernaz, and I think that’s fair. I’d like to see him rely less on analytics and more on defense and fundamentals. I’d like to see the best players become everyday players like Alonso and Henderson. I’d like to see smarter baserunning and more hitters put the ball in play. I’d like to see the individual talent coalesce into a team. I’d like to see what lessons he’s learned from his first season.