Friday, December 05

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BALTIMORE -- On Tuesday morning, Craig Albernaz will walk into the warehouse at Camden Yards. The 43-year-old will put on an Orioles jersey and hat, pose for pictures with president of baseball operations Mike Elias and control owner David Rubenstein, and then he'll field questions from the assembled media at a press conference.

This is the pinnacle of the profession. Albernaz is now an MLB manager after spending 11 years coaching across the Minor Leagues and Major Leagues. It’s a dream made possible by the O’s, who hired the Fall River, Mass., native last Monday to make him the 21st manager in team history (since 1954).

Albernaz now owns a title once held by Orioles greats such as Hall of Famers Earl Weaver and Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Sr., Buck Showalter and more. It will be Albernaz’s job to attempt to lead Baltimore to its first World Series championship (and appearance) since 1983.

People who have met Albernaz along the way know why success could be on the horizon.

“He’s done all the right things with the right people, and he’s produced and he’s become respected,” said Bill Mathews, who was the baseball coach at Eckerd College from 1991-2014. “You can’t find anybody that has anything bad to say about him. He’s done all the right things.”

Mathews has known Albernaz for more than two decades. From 2001-05, Albernaz played for Mathews at Eckerd, a Division II school in St. Petersburg, Fla. Albernaz wasn’t a prolific hitter -- which would continue to be the case during his nine-year Minor League career -- but he had above-average arm strength.

In fact, Albernaz had the best arm from behind the plate that Mathews saw during his time at Eckerd. Not only that, but Albernaz showed the type of confidence while throwing out runners that helped make Mathews high on Albernaz’s future in the sport.

“Nobody could touch him,” Mathews said. “He just came out of his shell and developed relationships with players, with coaches, and gained so much respect.”

From 2006-13, Albernaz played in the Rays’ Minor League system. His bat may have prevented him from reaching the Majors, but he still made positive impressions during that time.

“If he had hit more, he probably would have been a big league catcher,” said Joe Maddon, who was Tampa Bay’s manager from 2006-14. “He was such a good receiver. One of the best arms I’ve ever seen, actually. On top of that, he had a wonderful personality. We all liked having him around [in big league Spring Training].”

Nobody was surprised when Albernaz went from a catcher in 2014 -- when he spent one season in the Tigers’ system before ending his playing career -- to a coach in ‘15. He was hired by the Rays to serve as the manager of the Rookie-level Princeton Rays that season.

Mitch Lukevics was Tampa Bay’s director of Minor League operations at the time, and it wasn’t a hard decision for him and his staff to bring Albernaz into the fold.

“Excellent character, work ethic, what I call intangibles to be a good player, to be a good coach or a manager. The character of Craig Albernaz is top notch,” said Lukevics, who now is a senior advisor for player development and baseball operations for Tampa Bay. “Work ethic. Attitude. Aptitude. The ability to learn. And that’s what he was as a player. That’s why we hired him as a coach.”

Albernaz’s coaching career quickly took off. His success as a Minor League manager led to him becoming a Minor League field coordinator for the Rays in 2019. He moved on and served as the Giants’ bullpen and catching coach from 2020-23. Then, he became the Guardians’ bench coach in ‘24, before getting promoted to associate manager in ‘25.

Although Albernaz never played in the big leagues, he’s done about everything else there is to do in professional baseball, giving him a wealth of knowledge that surely impressed the Orioles during the interview process for the club’s managerial opening.

“He just showed you as he went along, every level, that he learned his lessons,” Lukevics said. “It’d be like he’d go to first grade, third grade, fifth grade, and you learn lessons. And he learned it.”

Nobody knows yet how Albernaz’s run as the manager in Baltimore will pan out. But if you ask those who have crossed paths with him, the answers will be overwhelmingly positive.

“I think he’s going to be a big success,” Mathews said. “I think he’s going to have the ability to take both position guys and pitchers and get them all on the same page pulling on the same end of the rope. I really believe that.”

“[His] character is second to none. Fabulous work ethic, knowledge. And he’s going to learn more. A guy like this is not going to stop learning,” Lukevics said. “I would bet on Craig Albernaz.”

On Thursday, the Orioles agreed to terms with right-hander Rico Garcia and infielder Luis Vázquez on one-year MLB contracts for the 2026 season.

Garcia, 31, recorded a 2.84 ERA in 20 appearances (one start) for Baltimore in 2025. The five-year big league veteran will compete for a job in the O’s bullpen in Spring Training.

Vázquez, 26, hit .160 with one double, one home run, three RBIs and a .448 OPS in 36 games for the Orioles in 2025. His versatility in the infield could make him a candidate for a bench role in ‘26.

• Robinson Chirinos will not be returning as Baltimore’s bench coach, according to a source. More >>

• Assistant hitting coaches Sherman Johnson and Tommy Joseph will not be returning to the O’s staff, per sources. More >>

• In unsurprising news, Enrique Bradfield Jr. (the Orioles’ No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline) continues to show off his 80-grade speed in the Arizona Fall League. More >>

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