Craig Albernaz

Craig Francis Albernaz (born October 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for Eckerd College. Albernaz signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in 2006. He was formerly a coach for the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Guardians.

High school, college, and playing career Albernaz attended Somerset Berkley Regional High School in Somerset, Massachusetts.

He attended Eckerd College ('05), where he played college baseball as a pitcher and catcher. As a catcher, he threw out 61% of attempted base stealers, and his arm was regularly clocked at 1.85 seconds to second base.

Albernaz was undrafted out of college and signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in 2006. He played as a catcher in the Rays organization from 2006 through 2013. Albernaz spent his final season in 2014 in the Detroit Tigers organization. In his minor league career, five seasons of which he played in Triple–A, he threw out 44% of attempted base stealers (145 of 329).

Coaching career Tampa Bay Rays Albernaz began his coaching career in 2015. He served as a coach for the rookie–level Princeton Rays in the Appalachian League in 2015 and for the Low–A Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League in 2016. He served as the High–A Bowling Green Hot Rods' manager in the Midwest League in 2018.

Cleveland Guardians On November 10, 2023, the Cleveland Guardians hired Albernaz to be their bench coach. On November 13, 2024, Albernaz was promoted to the role of assistant manager.

Baltimore Orioles On October 27, 2025, the Baltimore Orioles hired Albernaz as their manager.

In a freak accident in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 13, 2026, a foul ball lined off the bat of Jeremiah Jackson struck Albernaz in the face. Albernaz was taken to the hospital and suffered seven fractures in his right cheek and a broken jaw, however he returned to manage the next day.

Managerial record

Team Year Regular season PostseasonGamesWonLostWin %Finish Won Lost Win % ResultBAL2026140 – – – –Total140