Posted: Friday, 30 July 2010 5:13AM
Orioles Hire Showalter As Manager
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles have hired Buck Showalter to be their next manager.
A press conference is scheduled for Monday and Showalter will officially take over duties on Monday, August 2. The Orioles do not play that day, meaning Showalter's first game as manager will be Tuesday in the opener of a seven- game homestand against the Angels. Showalter had been working as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
Juan Samuel has been guiding the team on an interim basis since Dave Trembley was fired back on June 4. Baltimore had the worst record in the majors at 15-39 at the time of Trembley's ouster, and, at 31-70, remains in that role.
"My job with ESPN allowed me to follow this organization closely over the last several years, and although the current record may seem to indicate otherwise, I see enormous potential with this club," Showalter said. "I look forward to the challenge of competing in the American League East. Baltimore is a tremendous baseball town with passion and pride in its club and my family and I look forward to making it our new home."
Samuel has gone 16-31 at the helm since taking over, while Trembley had a record of 187-283 in nearly three full seasons as Orioles skipper. Samuel will return to his role as third base coach.
The 54-year-old Showalter previously managed the Yankees from 1992-1995, then with the Diamondbacks from 1998-2000 and also the Texas Rangers from 2003-06. He was named AL Manager of the Year in 1994 and again 10 years later. His overall record stands at 882-833 (.514).
"Buck Showalter's proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization," said Andy MacPhail, Orioles president of baseball operations. "We believe Buck's extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future."
Showalter has come to be known as a franchise re-builder of sorts, leading a distressed Yankee team back to prominence and a playoff berth in 1995 following a 14-year absence from the postseason.
New York went on to win the World Series in 1996 a year after Showalter left the team, in part because of a bruised relationship with the late great Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
Showalter took Arizona to the playoffs in just its second year out of expansion with a 100-win season and an NL West division title in 1999, but was fired following the 2000 season. The Diamondbacks also won the World Series a year after Showalter left.
He was again let go in 2006 by the Rangers after four years on the job. Texas had finished in last place in the AL West in 2002, the year before Showalter took the job. He never led the team to better than a third-place finish in the division.
Story Copyright 2010, Reuters
Photo Copyright 2010, Getty Images
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