Rays Legend Joe Maddon Offers Great Advice to Orioles New Manager Craig Albernaz
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The Tampa Bay Rays are going to be doing battle with someone they are very familiar with in the 2026 season and beyond in the American League East.
Taking over as manager of the Baltimore Orioles is Craig Albernaz. He spent nearly all of his professional baseball career with the Rays, starting in 2006 and sticking with the organization through 2013.
One year was spent with the Detroit Tigers in 2014 before he transitioned into being a coach. He was never able to live out his dream of becoming a Big League player, struggling with the bat.
His defense and strong arm were not enough to overcome a .199/.275/.254 career slash line in the minor leagues. While things didn’t pan out as a player, his future was very bright as a coach.
Former Rays manager Joe Maddon could see the potential Albernaz had during their interactions at spring training. They overlapped for multiple years, with Maddon managing the team from 2006 through 2014.
Joe Maddon fully confident in Craig Albernaz ability to manage Orioles
Plenty of conversations were had between the two, and the Tampa Bay leading man came away impressed with his attention to detail and how locked in he was when having conversations.
It took a little while, but Albernaz eventually made it to the Big Leagues as a coach with the San Francisco Giants in 2020. After five years with the Rays on coaching staffs in the minors, he was hired by the National League West squad as the bullpen and catching coach.
After four seasons with the Giants, he moved up the ranks, joining the Cleveland Guardians and working closely with manager Stephen Vogt. Albernaz was the bench coach in 2024 and associate manager in 2025.
Now, he will be leading his own team at the helm of the Orioles. Maddon knows what it takes to win at the highest level of baseball and has offered some advice to Albernaz: stay true to himself and be authentic.
Joe Maddon gives Craig Alberanz advice on first managing gig
“I think the trap there is that you feel as though you have to do things differently or be a different person -- more disciplined or a disciplinarian -- and you get outside of your normal methods. And you can’t. Nobody can,” Maddon said via Jake Rill of MLB.com. “When you do that, authenticity goes away and everybody reads that very quickly. So I think anybody’s most important tool when they get this opportunity.”
There will certainly be challenges to overcome as a first-time manager. Baltimore didn’t make the playoffs this year, falling woefully short of expectations.
That could put pressure on Albernaz right out of the gate, but Maddon believes he has the tools to succeed.
“All those personality qualities that he had, I think, play big for him right now,” Maddon said. “As the spokesman for the organization, he’s going to do really well, with his press conferences and addressing the team, things of that nature. I think he’s going to be a natural for that.”
Albernaz is one of two former members of the Tampa Bay organization to get a managerial job. Blake Butera was hired by the Washington Nationals as well.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.