Maddon has full faith in Albernaz as skipper: 'He's going to be a natural'

BALTIMORE -- Joe Maddon knew it more than a decade ago, when Craig Albernaz was a Minor League catcher invited to Rays big league camp for multiple Spring Trainings in the early 2010s.

Albernaz had a bright future as a coach -- and Maddon was quoted as saying so at the time.

Sure enough, Albernaz has climbed the baseball coaching ranks to the pinnacle of the profession, as the 43-year-old was hired as manager of the Orioles on Monday. Perhaps fans were a bit surprised, only because Albernaz has never held the job in MLB, unlike some of the other rumored candidates for the opening.

Maddon was not surprised.

“He’s got a great personality that clicks,” Maddon said in a phone interview with MLB.com this week. “A great coach or manager has to be a great listener, and I think that’s one of his best qualities. And then beyond that, always had good questions. Always had good questions. Like I said, just paid attention -- paid attention to detail. Fun guy. Easy to be with.”

Albernaz never made it to the big leagues during his nine-year professional playing career as a catcher -- eight seasons of which came in Tampa Bay’s system, from 2006-13. But that’s because he hit .199 with a .530 OPS in 382 Minor League games. He was a good defender with a strong arm.

However, MLB teams often bring extra catchers to big league camp each spring, as they’re needed to catch bullpen sessions and work with pitchers. So Albernaz got plenty of face time with Maddon, who was the Rays’ manager from 2006-14.

“Whenever you were speaking with him, the eyes were locked in,” Maddon said. “Definitely not from the church of ‘I know it all’ kind of a guy, not even. He was just wide open. I always really appreciate those that listen, and I think for the person that really listens, you’ll give them everything you got. I think that’s just natural, and I always thought that about him.”

As Maddon once predicted, Albernaz’s coaching career quickly took off after his playing days were over. The Fall River, Mass., native spent the 2014 season as a Minor League catcher for the Tigers, then began coaching in ‘15, when he was hired by the Rays to work in the Minors.

Albernaz spent five more years with Tampa Bay -- serving as a Minor League manager for two of those seasons before becoming a Minor League field coordinator in 2019 -- then reached the Majors in ‘20, when he became San Francisco’s bullpen and catching coach.

After four seasons in that role with the Giants, Albernaz spent two years as Guardians manager Stephen Vogt’s closest confidant, working as bench coach in 2024, then associate manager in ‘25.

All of that experience is why Maddon thinks Albernaz can be successful in Baltimore.

“It’s my favorite word, is experience. I love the fact that he’s had it,” Maddon said. “He’s going to be going in there with his eyes wide open, with experience. He knows what he thinks. That might sound stupid, but some guys don’t even know what they think.

“One of my first sweatshirts I had with the Rays was, ‘Tell me what you think, not what you’ve heard.’ There’s a lot of regurgitation in the world, so I think he’ll have original thoughts, based on the fact that he has so much experience. And that’s what I love about him.”

Maddon knows what it takes to be a successful MLB manager. After his run with the Rays, he held the job for the Cubs (2015-19) and Angels (2020-22). He led Tampa Bay to an American League pennant in ‘08, then won a World Series championship with Chicago in ‘16.

The biggest advice Maddon would give to Albernaz is to be himself and to be authentic.

“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. “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.”

But Maddon has no such concerns when it comes to how Albernaz will handle his new role.

“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.”