Orioles’ coaching staff grows to 11 with additions of Conger, North

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz’s coaching staff has grown to 11 with the hiring of former major league catcher Hank Conger as bullpen coach and Brady North as assistant hitting coach.

Conger, who played for seven seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Houston and Tampa Bay, was the first base and bullpen coach for Minnesota the last four seasons.

Albernaz was a minor league coach for the Rays in 2016, the year the 37-year-old Conger played for Tampa Bay.

North, who’s 34, worked as a minor league coach with the Rays in 2019 when Albernaz was a field coordinator. He was an assistant hitting coach for Tampa Bay the last four seasons.

Previously reported were the hirings of Donnie Ecker as bench coach, Dustin Lind as lead hitting coach, Jason Bourgeois as first base coach, Miguel Cairo as infield coach and Joe Singley as catching coach.

Four holdovers from last year’s staff will return — Buck Britton as third base coach and pitching coach Drew French as well as French’s assistants Ryan Klimek and Mitch Plassmeyer. Plassmeyer moved from assistant pitching coach to bullpen coach when manager Brandon Hyde and catching coach/major league field coordinator Tim Cossins were dismissed.

Cossins was hired on Tuesday as Houston’s catching coach, according to MLB.com. The Astros are managed by Hyde’s brother-in-law Joe Espada. Hyde and Cossins have been friends and associates for decades.

There still might be more additions to the Orioles’ coaching staff.

News of the Conger hiring came from MASNSports.com, and the North hiring came from The Baltimore Banner. Both were confirmed by an industry source.

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