BALTIMORE — Chicago Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde will make his Major League managerial debut in Baltimore, the Orioles announced Friday afternoon.
The 45-year-old Hyde takes the helm of a big league club after 16 years as a professional coach and four as a player. He replaces former manager Buck Showalter, whom the team did not bring back after a disastrous 2018 campaign. Hyde was part of the Cubs team that broke history, winning the organization's first World Series title in more than 100 years when the team beat the Cleveland Indians in 2016. Hyde was a first base-coach then. Prior to that role, he was the Cubs’ director of player development, joining the team in December of 2011.
“After conducting an intensive search, I believe that we have found the ideal leader for the next era of Orioles baseball,” Mike Elias, the newly named Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager, said in a statement. “Brandon’s deep background in player development and Major League coaching, most recently helping to shape the Cubs into a World Champion, has thoroughly prepared him for this job and distinguished him throughout our interview process. I look forward to introducing him to our fans next week and to working together with him to build the next great Orioles team.”
Hyde spend nine seasons with the Miami Marlins organization prior to his stint in Chicago. He was a bench coach for the Florida squad and served as the team’s interim manager for a game in 2011 when then manager Edwin Rodriguez resigned.
Hyde began in the Marlins’ farm system, severing as the minor league infield coordinator in 2010. He managed the organization’s Double-A squad in Jacksonville, leading the team to a Southern League Championship. He also managed the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. He also led at Class-A Advanced Jupiter, Double-A Carolina, and Glass-A Greensboro.
Hyde is a native of Santa Rosa, Calif, the Orioles said. He signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1997 as an undrafted free agent following his collegiate career at Long Beach State University. Hyde played as a catcher and a first baseman in the White Sox minor league system for four seasons.
