Though there isn’t necessarily any intent, the Orioles are trending toward hiring full-time managers with catching backgrounds.

That’s two in a row.

Brandon Hyde was a catcher at Long Beach State and in the White Sox’s system. Craig Albernaz developed a reputation as a plus defender with a cannon arm behind the plate at Eckerd College and in nine minor league seasons, the first eight with the Rays.

Hyde had Tim Cossins as his catching instructor and Fredi González and Robinson Chirinos as bench coaches before his dismissal on May 17. The revamped staff under Albernaz includes Joe Singley as field coordinator and catching coach and Hank Conger as bullpen coach.

Conger is the more familiar name to baseball fans after playing five seasons with the Angels and one each with the Astros and Rays. Singley is 28 years old, making him unique by coaching standards. He played at Coastal Carolina and began his coaching career at the school before working as Reds assistant catching coach and bullpen catcher for two seasons and Marlins catching coach, assistant catching director and bullpen catcher this year.

How much will Albernaz be involved in the work done with Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo?

“I’ll be involved with them from just a manager-catcher relationship, and to me that’s a big part of any team,” he said Thursday night on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show.”

“We went out and hired, in my opinion, the best technical coach on the market in Joe Singley. He’s young, but the dude can coach. And he gets catchers better no matter where he’s at. And to me, that hire was awesome for us. And then to supplement that with Hank Conger, with his experience and his knowledge, too. So our catchers are going to be highly supported in every aspect of the game.

“For me, it’s just allowing our coaches to coach and being there to support them in every turn.”

* Albernaz will attend his first Winter Meetings as a major league manager. His media availability is Monday at 2 p.m., putting him ahead of everyone except the Cardinals’ Oliver Marmol, who is scheduled at the same time on the other side of the room.

A first-timer tends to draw larger crowds, with reporters who covered his former teams sitting in on the sessions. For Albernaz, that means the Rays, Giants and especially Guardians.

That’s just 20 minutes out of his Winter Meetings life.

Asked about his agenda, Albernaz said, “Whatever they tell me to do.”

“Obviously, there’s a lot of media obligations and stuff,” he added. “But yeah, whatever Mike (Elias) has in store. Meetings, we’ll bring in a lot of our front office members, too, so we’ll get some one-on-one time and in group conversations and stuff, how we want to navigate the rest of the offseason heading into spring training.

“There also are a lot of vendors there who are trying to promote their next product and stuff, and also a lot of rules with MLB. So probably just putting my hand in a lot of different things. Whatever the schedule looks like, I’m sure it’s gonna be pretty dense, so we’ll kind of attack it from that direction.”

* Albernaz is following the moves made by other teams, especially within the division. The Blue Jays signed starter Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract after winning the American League pennant. The Red Sox traded for starter Sonny Gray. The Rays found their center fielder by signing former Oriole Cedric Mullins to a one-year, $7 million deal. The Yankees are gonna be the Yankees, which always is unsettling to opponents.

“I keep track as a baseball fan just like anybody else,” Albernaz said. "To me, there’s just like no games going on, so the free-agent frenzy and trades, that’s something that I always keep an eye on just because I’m a fan of the game. But obviously, being in this position now, yeah, you pay a little closer attention to it, but as a fan I’m just locked in as anybody else.”

* New closer Ryan Helsley mentioned in his introductory video call that he contacted former teammates with Orioles ties before deciding whether to accept the offer of a two-year, $28 million contract with an opt-out clause. He spoke to Tyler O’Neill, Andrew Kittredge, Kyle Gibson, Dylan Carlson and Jack Flaherty.

What input did they provide?

“Just that it was an exciting a fun team,” he said. “There was a very close-knit clubhouse. A lot of these guys came up together and came up through the minor leagues and debuted together and had success, and also failed in the big leagues, which is also important, too, to see how guys respond. They had very good things to say about the city of Baltimore and playing in front of the fans. Love spring training in Sarasota. It’s kind of checking all the boxes when I talked to them.

“Just top to bottom. The way they treated families, player treatment, coaching staff, all the above. Guys had really good things to say. The city of Baltimore’s great, a beautiful place to be and play baseball. So I think it was very appealing and wanted to go there.”

* The Orioles hold the seventh selection in Wednesday’s major league phase of the Rule 5 draft but can’t participate unless they create a few spots on their 40-man roster.

The total went from 39 to 41 yesterday with the Orioles claiming left-handed hitting outfielder Will Robertson on waivers from the Pirates and switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo from the Rockies. A corresponding move to get to 40 is done, of course, but probably won't be announced until later today.

Robertson, 27, made his major league debut this year with the Jays and also played for the White Sox, appearing in a combined 27 games and going 9-for-70 with a double, nine RBIs, two walks and 27 strikeouts. He can handle all three outfield spots but has most of his experience in the corners.

The Pirates claimed Robertson on Oct. 13. The White Sox purchased his contract on July 10.

Robertson is a career .247/.334/.458 hitter in six minor league seasons. He went 0-for-3 against the Orioles in a Sept. 17 game in Chicago.

Because he has multiple minor league options, Robertson could begin the season with Triple-A Norfolk if he remains in the organization.

The Orioles have signed Leody Taveras to a $2 million contract and traded for Taylor Ward, but they might not be done with the outfield. They’re like to add another bat and are checking the markets for center fielders.

Romo, 24, was the 35^th overall pick in the 2020 draft and appeared in 19 games with the Rockies over the past two years, going 9-for-54 with three doubles, six RBIs, two walks and 21 strikeouts. He’s slashed .277/.329/.431 in 426 minor league games.

Romo also has two minor league options and could provide depth at Norfolk. He also might be a candidate if the Orioles decide to carry a third catcher. 

MLB.com passed along the Robertson news, which also appeared on Roster Resource. The Rockies announced Romo. Both claims later appeared on MLB's transactions page. 

The Rockies, White Sox, Nationals, Twins, Pirates and Angels pick ahead of the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft. They made a selection every year from 2006-22, with the ’21 draft canceled due to the lockout.