More reflections on Albernaz's hiring as Orioles manager

Craig Albernaz brought his three children on the honeymoon phase of his hiring as Orioles manager.

The family posed for photos this week on the Camden Yards field, with sons CJ and Norman and 2-year-old daughter Gigi wearing their nicest clothes and batting helmets.

“I’ve got an eagle right here,” Gigi said, pointing at the bird.

Albernaz gently corrected her.

“That’s an Oriole,” he said.

“That’s an Oriole,” Gigi repeated. “We love the Oriole.”

“Yeah,” Albernaz said.

The Baltimore education has begun for the Bucks County residents, and the lessons cover a lot of territory.

For instance, the boys didn’t know about Ken Griffey Jr. hitting the warehouse in the 1993 Home Run Derby. Albernaz pulled up a video to show them.

Working for the Rays, Giants and Guardians didn’t shield Albernaz from certain details about the Orioles organization and iconic ballpark. He appreciates the rich history and wants to build on it.

During our one-on-one interview inside the MASN web studio, I asked Albernaz why he felt that the time was ripe to accept the club’s offer to manage after he pulled out of the running for two other jobs last offseason.

“First and foremost, it’s the Baltimore Orioles, right?” he said without hesitation.

“That’s a historic franchise. To be able to be in that dugout with those players and be in this organization and the history of it, one, that’s the first thing. And getting into the weeds, talking with Mike (Elias) and talking with the front office, you can kind of see their vision and what they laid out. They’ve done their rebuild and came out the other side.”

Albernaz also appreciates the achievements of the former managers ahead of him, including Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, Davey Johnson and Buck Showalter. He mentioned how he wants to continue what Brandon Hyde instilled and “try to keep it moving forward.”

“The potential of that really intrigued me,” he said.  

“And then obviously, you start looking at the roster and the talent just jumps out at you. So all those things combined, talking with my family, it was the right opportunity for me to jump on.”

Albernaz watched Showalter stand at the dugout railing, arms folded and a smile on his face, as players celebrated the night that they clinched the division title. That scene stayed with Albernaz.

“I still remember it to this day,” he said. “I thought that was the coolest thing I’ve seen a manager do.”

The Guardians train in Goodyear, Ariz., which prohibits Albernaz from facing his old team until April 16-19 in Cleveland and Sept. 7-9 at Camden Yards. Manager Stephen Vogt, who sat in the front row for the press conference, is looking forward to the reunion.

“There’s going to be a lot of trash talk back and forth, but my least favorite phrase is ‘manage against,’” Vogt said. “We manage our own teams. And that’s something that I’ve learned quickly and I just couldn't be more thrilled for him. It’s going to be really awkward and fun when we do play each other, but I’ll be rooting for the Baltimore Orioles except for seven times during the regular season. I know he’s going to thrive in this environment, and you’re all going to love him.

“I leaned on him a lot, especially early in 2024 when I’d never coached or managed a game, and he definitely made me think differently. He challenged me to think differently.”

“I'm forever grateful for Vogty,” Albernaz said. “Being in Cleveland with that group … they brought me into pretty much every meeting, every conversation they had. I got to see the inner works and all those conversations, what really goes into being a big league manager. It's not just being in a dugout with the coaching staff and the boys.

“A lot of your day is consumed by what happens before the game. So kind of got to see that, but really looking up my eyes and being able to navigate those conversations and also notice the leader that Vogty is, a communicator with the coaching staff and the players and how he goes about just being a great person and who he is. That's something that I learned from him, and that's something I'm forever grateful for.”

A video went viral of Albernaz tossing sunflower seeds at Vogt in the Guardians dugout, the manager trying not to react, acting like an older brother ignoring a pesky sibling.  

“That’s why we thrive so well together. We’re both very lighthearted,” Vogt said.

“It’s baseball. It’s a game. Is it important? Absolutely, winning and losing is very important, but you have to have fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re not going to play relaxed and everybody plays at their best and he’s definitely going to keep everyone relaxed. He’s going to keep you guys relaxed. You’re going to get a lot of personality and you’ve got to give it back to him, because if you don’t give it back to him, it’s not going to keep coming out.

“The seed toss was because I threw out a dumb idea and he called me on it and I yelled at him about it, and so he threw seeds at me and it went viral. But that was us every day. The camera just happened to catch it the one time.” 

Both men tried to keep their emotions in check at the press conference. They’d lock eyes while Albernaz sat at the dais. They talked about each other separately, pausing so their voices wouldn’t crack.

“We’ve had our goodbyes, too, over the phone and it’s hard,” Vogt said. “It’s hard when you work with someone so closely. We spent more time with each other than we did our wives over the last two years. When you get to do it with such a close friend, it’s special and the relationship will never be the same, right? You’re still going to have the same friendship, but you won’t have the closeness. But I couldn't be more thrilled and I’m just excited for him. He’s going to absolutely thrive.” 

Albernaz feels the same excitement for Blake Butera. They became friends in the Rays organization, and the Nationals made him the youngest manager, at age 33, since Frank Quilici of the Twins in 1972. Albernaz is hoping to attend Butera’s presser in a few weeks.

The Orioles play the Nationals in a home-and-home exhibition series March 22-23, and the teams will meet again in May and June.

“I am so proud of Blake. I’m more proud of Blake getting that job than me sitting here, which is crazy to say.,” Albernaz said.

“Me and Blake have a close relationship. When he first got drafted as a player, that was my first year coaching, on the same team. My first year managing in the minor leagues was his first year coaching. We were together on the same staff. I’m just so pumped for him and Caroline. It’s … I don’t want to get emotional, but I’m just proud of him. Being so young, at 33, taking that job, we talk every day, so we keep each other in the loop every single day and I couldn’t be prouder.”