BALTIMORE, MD—The Baltimore Orioles officially named Craig Albernaz as the 21st manager in franchise history on Monday, marking the 42-year-old’s first Major League managerial assignment.
The announcement, made by Orioles President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Elias, signals a new direction for the club as they aim to return to the playoffs and contend for a World Series title following a disappointing 2025 season.
“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” Elias stated. “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.”
Albernaz, who turns 43 later this week, expressed his excitement. “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.”
A Rising Star from Cleveland and San Francisco
Albernaz joins the Orioles after an impressive coaching tenure, most recently spending two seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, where he was promoted to Associate Manager in 2025 after serving as bench coach in 2024. During his time in Cleveland, the Guardians won the American League Central Division in both seasons. Notably, the 2025 Guardians completed an MLB-record comeback from a 15.5-game deficit on July 8 to clinch the division, eventually reaching the AL Championship Series in 2024.
Prior to his time in Cleveland, Albernaz spent four seasons (2020-2023) as the bullpen and catching coach for the San Francisco Giants, where his pitching staffs achieved notable success, including leading the majors in relief innings in 2023 and posting the lowest relief ERA in 2021.
His managerial experience comes from the minor leagues, compiling a strong two-year record of 145-83 (.636) managing Single-A short-season Hudson Valley (2017) and Class-A Bowling Green (2018), the latter earning him Midwest League Manager of the Year honors after his team won a minor league-best 90 games.
Background and Introduction
The Somerset, Massachusetts native began his professional playing career as an undrafted free agent catcher with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006, logging 380 professional games, including 122 at the Triple-A level.
Albernaz is the fourth consecutive Orioles manager without prior Major League experience. He and his wife, Genevieve, reside in Bucks County, PA, with their three children: CJ (8), Norman (6), and Gigi (2).
The Baltimore Orioles will formally introduce Manager Craig Albernaz during a press conference at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, November 4, at 11 a.m. The event will be open only to credentialed media, but fans can watch the conference live on Orioles.com, the team’s Facebook, and YouTube channels.
Information on 2026 ticket packages can be found at https://www.Orioles.com/Tickets.
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