The Tampa Bay Rays today announced Craig Albernaz has been named manager of Short-A Hudson Valley, replacing Tim Parenton. Hudson Valley, which plays in the New York-Penn League, opens their season on Monday, June 19 at Aberdeen, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
Albernaz, 34, started this season on the coaching staff of Triple-A Durham and remained with the team through the con- clusion of their four-game series againsut Norfolk, which ended yesterday. In his first season on the Triple-A staff, Albernaz coached third base and worked with Durham's catchers. He spent the 2016 season as a coach with Hudson Valley and the 2015 season as a coach with Rookie-level Princeton.
Albernaz had a nine-year playing career as a Minor League catcher, eight of which he spent in the Rays organization. He was signed by the Rays in February 2006 as a non-drafted free agent out of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. He was on the Rays roster for Major League Spring Training for five consecutive seasons from 2009-13. He spent the 2014 season, his last as a player, in the Detroit Tigers organization for Double-A Erie. Over his Minor League career, he threw out 44.1 percent (145 of 329) of attempted base stealers.
Parenton had been the manager of Hudson Valley for the previous three seasons and was recently hired as the head coach at the University of North Florida.