Baltimore Orioles hire new bench coach under Craig Albernaz

Ecker, 39, spent the past four seasons with the Texas Rangers as a bench coach and offensive coordinator. The club won a World Series while he held both roles in 2023, but before the 2025 season, Texas removed his bench coach duties so he could focus solely on offense.

After a slow start offensively, Ecker was fired on May 4. At the time, Texas ranked 25th in wRC+ (85), 25th in slugging (.359), 26th in batting average (.228), 28th in on-base percentage (.285), 29th in runs (113), and 29th in walk rate (6.7%).

The Rangers’ offense had been a driving force behind their World Series run in 2023, when they won the inaugural team AL Silver Slugger Award under Ecker’s watch. They scored 881 runs—the most in the American League—and combined for a .263/.337/.442 slash line with a 114 wRC+ that season.

Baltimore needed a replacement for bench coach Robinson Chirinos, who left to pursue opportunities elsewhere after Albernaz was hired in late October. The Orioles had brought on the former catcher a year earlier to replace Fredi González, even though Chirinos had never previously served as a coach at any level.

Ecker is the third confirmed coach to join Albernaz’s staff, all of whom have prior relationships with him. The Orioles previously hired hitting coach Dustin Lind, who also worked with Albernaz in San Francisco, and first base coach Jason Bourgeois, a former teammate of his.

Read More: Orioles hiring first base coach to Craig Albernaz’s staff

Several members of Baltimore’s 2025 coaching staff have departed since Albernaz was named manager, including Tony Mansolino, Cody Asche, Anthony Sanders, Robinson Chirinos, Sherman Johnson, and Tommy Joseph. The Atlanta Braves initially announced Mansolino as their third base coach but later moved him to bench coach.

According to MASN’s Roch Kubatko , the Orioles are interested in retaining third base coach Buck Britton, who stepped into the role after Mansolino became interim manager in mid-May. There are no updates on the status of senior advisor John Mabry, development coach Grant Anders, or any of the pitching coaches.