Orioles announce hiring of Albernaz as manager

The Orioles made the hiring of Craig Albernaz as their new manager official on Monday. Albernaz becomes the 21^st manager in team history.

Albernaz has six seasons of major league coaching experience. In 2024 and 2025, he worked for the Cleveland Guardians. He was bench coach in 2024 and associate manager in 2025.

He was bullpen and catching coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2020-2023.

Albernaz, who’ll turn 43 on Thursday, played nine seasons in the minor leagues as a catcher, eight in the Tampa Bay organization and one with Detroit. From 2015-2019, he was a minor league coach, manager and field coordinator for the Rays.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” said Orioles President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Elias 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.”

“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.”

Albernaz, who’s a Massachusetts native, graduated from Eckard College in St. Petersburg, Florida, not far from Tropicana Field. He was signed by Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent.

He and his wife and three children live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

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