{"id":820107,"date":"2026-10-02T23:03:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T23:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/820107\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T23:03:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T23:03:25","slug":"jim-palmer-says-craig-albernaz-ignored-his-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/820107\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Palmer says Craig Albernaz ignored his advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jim Palmer has spent more than six decades in and around the Orioles, and apparently that still isn\u2019t enough to get a text back from the team\u2019s new manager.<\/p>\n

Appearing on the Bmore Sports Podcast, the Hall of Famer and MASN analyst recounted reaching out to first-year Orioles manager Craig Albernaz<\/a> in February with a suggestion on\u00a0how to unlock Colton Cowser, only to be ignored for months and then brushed off when he finally brought it up face-to-face.<\/p>\n

Palmer began by praising Albernaz, calling him \u201ca really smart guy\u201d who had surely done his homework, before laying out the problem he saw with Cowser, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up. From Palmer\u2019s vantage point in the broadcast booth, the outfielder\u2019s flaws were that he struggles against left-handed pitching, strikes out too often, and has trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I said, you know what, send it in a text. I said, I don\u2019t want to interfere, but maybe spring training for Colton should be getting the normal conditioning and playing,\u201d said Palmer. \u201cBut watching Cody Bellinger, who hit .359 against left-handed pitching last year, .298 the year before, and .319 the year before, watches at-bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Palmer is BACK. Returning to the pod, he talks the #Orioles<\/a> season, giving advice to Craig Albernaz, and more. PLUS Jerry and Mike discuss draft classes<\/p>\n

Full chat\u27a1\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/KfprORe7t1<\/a>@sportswcoleman<\/a> @MBordick<\/a> @Jim22Palmer<\/a> #baltimoreorioles<\/a> #birdland<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/q6pceYbHth<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bmore Sports Podcast (@BmoreSportsPod) October 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Bellinger<\/a> has been one of the more reliable left-handed hitters in baseball against southpaws, and Palmer wanted Cowser to study exactly how he does it, from the counts Bellinger gets himself into to the path his bat takes through the strike zone. Palmer said he texted the idea to Albernaz in mid-February, shortly before the start of spring training.<\/p>\n

The text went unanswered.<\/p>\n

Spring training came and went, and so did most of the regular season, without any word from Albernaz. It wasn\u2019t until roughly five weeks remained on the schedule, with both men on the field before a game in Houston, that Palmer finally raised the message in person. According to Palmer, Albernaz brushed it aside as something from \u201ca long time ago,\u201d then looked at him and remarked that it\u2019s a lot easier to talk about something than to actually do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, well, I\u2019ve been around over 60 years, and I said, you know what my experience tells me,\u201d Palmer recalled. \u201cIf you don\u2019t talk about it, there\u2019s no chance of doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowser finished the season batting .226 with a .687 OPS, 13 home runs and 121 strikeouts in 392 plate appearances, and a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. Against left-handed pitching, he was nearly helpless, hitting .132 with a .406 OPS and striking out 27 times in 65 plate appearances.<\/p>\n

Perhaps a few hours studying Bellinger\u2019s at-bats in February wouldn\u2019t have been such a bad idea after all.<\/p>\n

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