Here are a few top takeaways from his Baltimore introduction:<\/p>\n
Get used to the Bahston accent.
Albernaz left home in New England (Fall River, Mass.) at age 17 to play baseball at Eckerd College in Florida, but his thick native accent hasn\u2019t left him. A few moments into his opening statement, we heard \u201cpaht,\u201d meaning \u201cpart,\u201d and \u201cGahdians,\u201d referring to his former team. A few weeks ago, when news broke of the hire, some funny people on the Internet speculated Albernaz was a mole for the Red Sox. But nobody will question that, nor care what he sounds like, if the Orioles have a strong season.<\/p>\n
Albernaz\u2019s personality isn\u2019t lacking.
While clearly trying to hit the right notes upon introduction, he also let his personality shine, mostly when making jokes (about his height, 5-foot-8) and working with Elias on their offseason wish list. \u201cWhatever Mike wants to cook up. I trust Mike,\u201d Albernaz said. \u201cThat\u2019s not my job. That\u2019s Mike\u2019s job. He\u2019s pretty good at it. Actually, really good at it.\u201d He added: \u201cPlease, Mike,\u201d which drew a laugh and grin from the typically guarded GM.<\/p>\n
When asked how many current O\u2019s players he\u2019s spoken to, Albernaz recognized an opening and referred to the viral \u201c6-7\u201d social media trend, which his sons\u20148-year-old CJ and 6-year-old Norman, sporting orange-and-black Air Force 1 sneakers that matched their parents and sister\u2014wanted him to mention. \u201cI\u2019ve probably reached out to 6, 7 of them to be honest with you,\u201d Albernaz said.<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t quite Buck Showalter\u2019s wistfulness and charm in the 2010s (the last time the team won a postseason game), but Albernaz will be entertaining in his own way. Take it from his friend, Vogt, the Guardians manager, who talked to Baltimore reporters after the press conference Tuesday. \u201cHe\u2019s going to keep everyone relaxed,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to have personality. You got to give it back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
He could be the right guy at the right time. Last season, injuries mounted all over the roster and pressure built early, leading to then-manager Brandon Hyde\u2019s firing. Elias wanted the team\u2019s young core to get back on track while justifying the coaching change to interim manager Tony Mansolino. Albernaz will be another new voice at Camden (Yahds), but his hire isn\u2019t a huge departure from Hyde\u2019s pedigree. Both were hired as first-time, young-ish managers, who never played in the majors, but are receptive to analytics and were part of former Rays and Cubs manager Joe Maddon\u2019s coaching tree. But Albernaz appears to be a more playful version of the gruffer Hyde.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to keep it loose. It\u2019s baseball,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re with each other 162 games in a season, and more than our families. Guys play at their best when they\u2019re having fun and just playing the kids\u2019 game.\u201d<\/p>\n
For all the high expectations for this Orioles team\u2014and talks of future multi-million-dollar contracts for Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman<\/a>, or Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg\u2014they\u2019re still young and maturing. I mean, get to Camden Yards early enough, and you can see Henderson riding into the clubhouse parking lot on an electric scooter. (Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that, but an older player concerned about injury would at least drive.)<\/p>\n