The Orioles today announced their 2026 major league coaching staff, led by first-year manager Craig Albernaz. Pitching Coach Drew French (3^rd season), Assistant Pitching Coach Mitch Plassmeyer (3^rd), Pitching Strategy Coach Ryan Klimek (4^th), and Third Base Coach Buck Britton (2^nd) return to the staff, while the club has hired Donnie Ecker as Bench Coach, Dustin Lind as Hitting Coach, Brady North as Assistant Hitting Coach, Jason Bourgeois as First Base Coach, Hank Conger as Bullpen Coach, Miguel Cairo as Infield Coach, and Joe Singley as Field Coordinator and Catching Coach.

Ecker, 39, spent the last four seasons with the Texas Rangers as the club’s offensive coordinator (2022-25). He also served as bench coach from 2022-24. The Rangers had at least one American League Silver Slugger Award winner in each of his first three years, and the team was selected as the winner of the inaugural team Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award in the AL in 2023 after Texas won the World Series behind a record-setting regular season in which the Rangers led the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. He has also worked professionally for the San Francisco Giants as hitting coach (2020-21), Cincinnati Reds as assistant hitting coach (2019), Los Angeles Angels as Triple-A Salt Lake hitting coach (2018), and a hitting coach for St. Louis Cardinals’ Single-A teams in Peoria (2017) and Palm Beach (2015-16). The utility player was selected in the 22^nd round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft by the Rangers out of Lewis-Clark State College (ID) and played two professional seasons.

Lind, 37, was the assistant hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2024-25. He spent the previous four years with the Giants as director of hitting and assistant major league hitting coach, working on the same staff all four seasons with Albernaz, and Ecker for two (2020-21). He worked as an independent hitting consultant with the Seattle Mariners from 2014-17 before joining the organization as a minor league quality assurance coach in 2018 and was promoted to director of hitting development and strategies for the major league club in 2019. The former outfielder played collegiately at Montana State University-Billings from 2007-08 and Sierra College (CA) from 2010-11.

North, 34, had been the assistant hitting coach for the Tampa Bay Rays since the start of 2022. This will be his first role outside of the Rays’ organization after serving as the hitting coach for the GCL Rays (2019) and Class-A Bowling Green (2021). He was assigned to Class-A Charlotte in the same role in 2020 before the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North was the director of hitting and mental performance at Top Level Athletes in Orlando, Fla., among other non-professional baseball roles, prior to joining Tampa Bay. The first baseman and outfielder played with Independent Lake Erie and Washington of the Frontier League after playing collegiately at Cumberland University (TN), Jacksonville University (FL), and Hillsborough Community College (FL). The Tampa, Fla. native graduated from Gaither (FL) High School.

Bourgeois (pronounced BOOSH-wah), 43, joins the Orioles after serving as the first base and outfield coach for the Chicago White Sox for two seasons. He spent five years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, working as a minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator from 2021-23 and as a coach for Single-A Great Lakes in 2019. Bourgeois would have been on the coaching staff for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2020 before the minor league season was canceled. The former outfielder played parts of eight major league seasons from 2008-15 with the White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Rays, and Reds. He was originally selected by the Rangers in the second round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft out of Forest Brook (TX) High School.

The Orioles announced their 2026 coaching staff this morning, with no new hires after the most recent reported updates.

Drew French returns for his third season as pitching coach and Mitch Plassmeyer for his third season as assistant pitching coach. Ryan Klimek enters his fourth season as pitching strategy coach and his 10^th in the organization.

Buck Britton made his major league debut last season as major league coach before shifting to third base coach, the role that he’s filling in 2026.

The 11-man staff under new manager Craig Albernaz includes Donnie Ecker as bench coach, Dustin Lind as hitting coach, Brady North as assistant hitting coach, Jason Bourgeois as first base coach, Hank Conger as bullpen coach, Miguel Cairo as infield coach and Joe Singley as field coordinator and catching coach.

“I think it's going to be a great fit for everyone,” Albernaz said at the Winter Meetings. “All of our guys, our goal for our coaching staff is to have great coaches, great teachers, great communicators, but more importantly, great people. I think all the coaches that were brought in and the coaches that have been here, our pitching group and also Buck, they're great people. And so for us, we just needed great people around our players to support them.”

Aaron Hicks injured his left hamstring on July 24 in Philadelphia while racing in for a fly ball from Johan Rojas in the third inning. Colton Cowser replaced him in center field.

Cowser batted in the ninth inning and lined a tie-breaking double to left field off Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel that scored rookie Gunnar Henderson.

Henderson will be in the Orioles’ Opening Day lineup in March. Kimbrel will sit in the bullpen as the new closer. Cowser could be in the lineup, on the bench or at minor league camp.

“We’re going to have a really competitive spring,” Cowser said at the Birdland Caravan. “I know that we have a lot of really good outfielders on this team and a lot of guys who can play multiple positions, but I’m looking forward to competing and having a good time out at spring.”

Cowser needed more of those fantastic Philly finishes. He collected two more hits in 22 at-bats. The RBI was his fourth and last.

The Orioles announced another new addition to their 2024 coaching staff, though he comes from within the organization.

Mitch Plassmeyer, 28, has been promoted from minor league pitching coordinator to major league assistant pitching coach. He replaces Darren Holmes, who was hired as the Cubs bullpen coach.

Plassmeyer was minor league pitching coordinator since May 2022. He had worked at the University of Missouri-Columbia as pitching coach and director of player development–baseball after beginning his coaching career at Premier Pitching and Performance (P3) in Missouri.

Drew French, 39, was named pitching coach earlier in the offseason after spending the last three seasons as Braves bullpen coach. He replaces Chris Holt, who remains director of pitching.

The other change is Grant Anders’ role as major league development coach.