BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles introduced Craig Albernaz as their 21st manager in franchise history on Tuesday, with the new skipper calling the opportunity a "dream come true" and promising fans an exciting brand of baseball in 2026.
Albernaz, who will serve as a lead manager in Major League Baseball for the first time, comes to Baltimore after working as associate manager with the Cleveland Guardians. His appointment follows what he acknowledged was a disappointing 2025 season for the Orioles, though he remains optimistic about the team's talent.
Watch: Former Cleveland Guardians associate manager says leading historic franchise is "dream come true"
"The talent just jumps right at you," Albernaz said. "Even playing them this year, like, yeah, it was a down year, a lot of injuries, but the talent up and down the roster is impressive."
The new manager said his path to leading a major league team wasn't something he initially envisioned but developed through building relationships throughout his career.
"You don't think about being a big league manager, at least I didn't, but as you navigate your relationships, navigate certain teams and you can kind of see that's something that you want to do and a goal you want to obtain," Albernaz said. "And to do it in such a historic franchise as the Baltimore Orioles, it really is a dream come true."
His experience in Cleveland proved invaluable preparation for his new role. Albernaz credited the Guardians' leadership team for including him in high-level decision-making processes.
"Being in Cleveland with that group with Chris, Mike, and Matt and obviously working alongside of [Stephen] Voghty, they brought me into pretty much every meeting, every conversation they had," Albernaz said. "So I got to see the inner works and all those conversations, what really goes into being a big league manager."
General Manager Mike Elias and owner David Rubenstein said they received strong recommendations for Albernaz throughout their search process.
"I think and our department thinks that Craig is the right leader for the next phase of this team," Elias said.
Rubenstein echoed that sentiment, noting the consistent praise Albernaz received from others in the industry.
"Mike interviewed a number of people, so did I," Rubenstein said. "And from the beginning when we were talking to people, people said, well this person you're interviewing is good, but if you can get Craig, you'll really be fortunate. Everybody kept saying he's the guy you should get."
The press conference featured a special guest when Albernaz's 2-year-old daughter Gigi made an appearance, adding a personal touch to the formal introduction.
Elias indicated there will be changes to the coaching staff but said Tuesday's event was focused on introducing the new manager rather than discussing specific personnel moves.
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