Baltimore Orioles hire new bench coach under Craig Albernaz

The Orioles are hiring Donnie Ecker as bench coach under manager Craig Albernaz, who worked with him in San Francisco.

Feb 20, 2024; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers bench coach Donnie Ecker poses for a photo during Media Day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Another coach with previous ties to Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz is joining his staff.

On Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun reported that the Orioles are hiring Donnie Ecker as their bench coach. Ecker’s career path overlapped with Albernaz from 2020 to 2021, when they worked together on the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff.

The Orioles are hiring Donnie Ecker to be their bench coach under new manager Craig Albernaz, per source.

Ecker, 39, was on the Giants’ staff alongside Albernaz in 2020-21 as a hitting coach before joining the Rangers as bench coach and offensive coordinator in 2022.

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) November 12, 2025

Ecker, 39, spent the past four seasons with the Texas Rangers as a bench coach and offensive coordinator. The club won a World Series while he held both roles in 2023, but before the 2025 season, Texas removed his bench coach duties so he could focus solely on offense.

After a slow start offensively, Ecker was fired on May 4. At the time, Texas ranked 25th in wRC+ (85), 25th in slugging (.359), 26th in batting average (.228), 28th in on-base percentage (.285), 29th in runs (113), and 29th in walk rate (6.7%).

The Rangers’ offense had been a driving force behind their World Series run in 2023, when they won the inaugural team AL Silver Slugger Award under Ecker’s watch. They scored 881 runs—the most in the American League—and combined for a .263/.337/.442 slash line with a 114 wRC+ that season.

No surprise here! A high-powered offense fueled the @Rangers to a World Series title and the @sluggernation AL Silver Slugger Team Award in 2023 💪 pic.twitter.com/dmpILJRpN4

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 10, 2023

Baltimore needed a replacement for bench coach Robinson Chirinos, who left to pursue opportunities elsewhere after Albernaz was hired in late October. The Orioles had brought on the former catcher a year earlier to replace Fredi González, even though Chirinos had never previously served as a coach at any level.

Ecker is the third confirmed coach to join Albernaz’s staff, all of whom have prior relationships with him. The Orioles previously hired hitting coach Dustin Lind, who also worked with Albernaz in San Francisco, and first base coach Jason Bourgeois, a former teammate of his.

Read More: Orioles hiring first base coach to Craig Albernaz’s staff

Several members of Baltimore’s 2025 coaching staff have departed since Albernaz was named manager, including Tony Mansolino, Cody Asche, Anthony Sanders, Robinson Chirinos, Sherman Johnson, Tommy Joseph, and Grant Anders. The Atlanta Braves initially announced Mansolino as their third base coach but later moved him to bench coach.

According to Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner, Buck Britton, Drew French, and Ryan Klimek are all expected to return to the Orioles’ coaching staff under Albernaz. Last year, French was the pitching coach, Klimek was the pitching strategy coach, and Britton was the interim third base coach, but their exact titles for 2026 have not yet been determined.

There are still no updates on the status of bullpen coach Mitch Plassmeyer or senior advisor John Mabry, who joined Baltimore two weeks after Mansolino was named interim manager.