Baseball isn’t always kind to first-year managers.
Craig Albernaz, Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles’ regular-season schedule concludes seven weeks from Sunday, Sept. 27. While playing the New York Yankees in the Bronx, Baltimore’s rookie skipper Craig Albernaz will have navigated through the 2026 162-game campaign. Heading into the Thursday home game with the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore has a 56–58 record, 12 games behind American League East division leader Tampa Bay Rays.
Year 1 as Orioles manager has been painful at times for Albernaz. Back in April, while he was perched in the Orioles dugout during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a foul ball off the bat of Jeremiah Jackson struck him in the face. Baltimore’s skipper suffered a broken jaw and facial fractures around his cheek and orbital bone.
And seeing his club struggle to reach and surpass a .500 win-loss record remains a disappointment to Albernaz and his staff. Orioles management no doubt will maintain patience with their first-year skipper—at least for the start of the 2027 season.
Kurt Suzuki, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels’ Kurt Suzuki is experiencing a tough inaugural managing season. Suzuki, 42, is signed to a one-year contract. Having come down from three seasons in the Angels’ front office to the dugout in 2026, with the club in last place in the American League West at 43–71 as of Thursday, Suzuki in all likelihood won’t be brought back for a second season.
Prior to the All-Star Game break, USA Today reported on Suzuki’s treading on thin ice to receive a contract extension before this season ends.
“Suzuki, another manager with zero experience before agreeing to a one-year contract to manage the Los Angeles Angels, has yet to make a difference. No one is saying the Angels are his fault by any means, and folks believe that he has a chance to be a good manager in the future, but it’s unlikely he’ll get that chance with the Angels.”
Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants
The experiment of Tony Vitello making the jump from the college ranks to lead from the San Francisco Giants bench has been anything but successful in 2026. The Giants trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 21 games in the National League West, and remain 13 games out of the Wild Card hunt. Although Vitello has a three-year contract, it wouldn’t come as a total surprise if at season’s end he returns to the college ranks. The Giants were sellers earlier this week at the MLB trade deadline, shipping off Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray, Erik Miller, and Heliot Ramos.
Blake Butera, Washington Nationals
Blake Butera, 33, has seen the Washington Nationals demonstrate progress. With only minor injuries to deal with this season, at 56-60, Butera has his club trending in the right direction. But with the sizzling hot Atlanta Braves and surging Philadelphia Phillies in the same National League East division, plus throw in the much improved Miami Marlins, and Washington can’t get a break in making noticeable headway in the standings. As baseball’s youngest manager, Butera hasn’t given Nationals’ ownership a reason not to keep believing in his leadership ability.
Walt Weiss, Atlanta Braves
Walt Weiss will probably be National League Manager of the Year. From the get-go back in March, Weiss’s Atlanta Braves have been the toast of the National League East. At 8.5 games ahead of the second-place Phillies, even with key pitchers Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach missing for most of the season, Atlanta has received stellar performances up and down their lineup to compensate for what may be missing from the mound. The Braves’ bench coach since 2018, after Brian Snitker retired at the end of the 2025 season, Weiss slid into the manager’s position, and the club hasn’t missed a beat.
Warren Schaeffer, Colorado Rockies
Tough times continue for Warren Schaeffer and his Colorado Rockies. Not surprisingly, the Rockies are 24 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, and an astonishing 16 games away from qualifying in the Wild Card round. Schaeffer was “interim” skipper in Colorado last season, and his record thus far at the helm for the Rockies is 81–156 as of Thursday. Competing with the Dodgers on the field and signing free agents isn’t even close for Colorado. Schaeffer will no doubt be brought back for a second full season in the “Mile High City.”
Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres’ new manager Craig Stammen, 42, has his club just two games out of playoff contention. By all accounts, his players trust his decisions. He demonstrates an understanding of what is expected of him, as he explained earlier this season to reporters.
“It all boils down to communication and how much you can communicate with these guys on a daily basis,” Stammen said. “With the coaching staff, the front office. You have to be really good about having conversations, but you have to be willing to listen and think about other people’s ideas and feelings. Put yourself in their shoes. If you do that you have a chance to make better decisions.”
Skip Schumaker, Texas Rangers, and Derek Shelton, Minnesota Twins
Both Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker and Derek Shelton of the Minnesota Twins have their clubs on the brink of being playoff-worthy. Schumaker has the Rangers just 1.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West, while Shelton is keeping his Twins close (four games back) to the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central. Both skippers are thriving with their new employers, after needing to re-energize their skills from working with clubs stuck in mediocrity.
With fewer than 50 games left on the 2026 MLB schedule, managers, especially the rookies, still have time to cement their case for a trip to spring training in February.
