There’s so much uncertainty around the Orioles. Tony Mansolino has the label of interim manager, and he said he’s not thinking about the idea of being the team’s skipper for 2026 and beyond.
“That’s so far off my plate right now to be honest with you, man. I’m just trying to make sure that the clubhouse goes right right now, that there’s positive vibes,” Mansolino said before Sunday’s 5-1 win over Boston.
Mansolino replaced Brandon Hyde on May 17th. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias hasn’t definitively said that Mansolino will manage for the balance of the season, but that’s the working assumption.
The Orioles fired bench coach Fredi González and major league coach José Hernández after last season, replacing them with two first-time big league coaches, Robinson Chirinos and Buck Britton.
Some fans thought Britton was a possibility to replace Hyde because he had experience managing Triple-A Norfolk. However, he had the major league coach tag, with no specific responsibilities, and was less than two months into his job.
Mansolino had been Orioles’ third base coach and infield instructor for the past five seasons. He had four years of minor league managing experience with Cleveland.
“We’ve been through a pretty traumatic turn of events here recently,” Mansolino said. “I never thought I’d do this. That’s not my thought. How do we make sure these guys are playing well? How do we make sure that the Baltimore Orioles are winning games?”
After winning the final two games of their series with Boston, the Orioles are 3-6 under the 42-year-old Mansolino. He was never a major league player, but his father, Doug, was a longtime major league coach and is currently a field coordinator with the Atlanta Braves, so he grew up around the game.
Mansolino played at Vanderbilt, and graduated with a degree in Human and Organizational Development.
“I think you’re thinking through everything at all times,” he said. “I’m a thinker, and I’m a communicator. It’s easy for me to walk through the coaching room after a game, and ask: ‘What did we mess up?’”
The Orioles have an inexperienced coaching staff, and there isn’t a former manager for him to turn to for advice.
“This is a collective effort. This isn’t Tony Mansolino managing the Baltimore Orioles and making every single decision,” he said.
His postgame press conferences have been unique. Mansolino eagerly explains his decisions, and is always including his coaches not only in his decision-making, but citing them while talking about his moves.
“I’m so new to this, and I need help in a lot of ways, and that’s OK,” he said.
In 2010, the last time the Orioles changed managers during a season, they actually had three: Dave Trembley, Juan Samuel and Buck Showalter, who each managed more than 50 games.
Showalter, who went 34-23, had an advantage over Mansolino. He was in his fourth managerial job and was able to get a firsthand look at his new team and the coaches.
He replaced all of the coaches for 2011, and he had a better idea of his players’ abilities during the following spring training because he’d already seen them.
“Anybody that manages in the big leagues for the first time needs a little bit of help,” he said. “Usually when guys get in these types of jobs for the first time, it’s a rebuild-type situation.
“This is actually a pretty good team. I know we’re a ways out of this thing. This is actually a team that has a chance to get back to 10 games under, maybe .500 and go from there.”
Mansolino faces steep odds to manage the team next year. The Orioles would probably have to finish the season strongly. Despite the injuries and underperformances, there are many promising players and others coming back from injuries.
It’s likely to be one of the more attractive jobs available, unlike in 2018 when Hyde was the last manager hired. Experienced big league hands probably will be lining up for the opportunity because it’s likely that the team, under owner David Rubenstein, will be an aggressive spender in free agency to fill in the holes.
“I’m not naïve enough to think I can do this all by myself,” Mansolino said. “I think anybody that sits in this seat for the first time in their life and thinks they can do it by themselves probably isn’t the right guy to do this.”
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