Craig Francis Albernaz (born October 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball coach for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He currently serves as their assistant manager. He played college baseball for Eckerd College. Albernaz signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in 2006. He was formerly the bullpen and catching coach for the San Francisco Giants.
| Craig Albernaz | |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians – No. 55 | |
| Coach | |
| Born: October 30, 1982 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Teams | |
As coach
|
High school, college, and playing career
editAlbernaz attended Somerset Berkley Regional High School in Somerset, Massachusetts.[1]
He attended Eckerd College ('05), where he played college baseball as a pitcher and catcher.[2][3] As a catcher, he threw out 61% of attempted base stealers, and his arm was regularly clocked at 1.85 seconds to second base.[4]
Albernaz was undrafted out of college and signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in 2006.[5] He played as a catcher in the Rays organization from 2006 through 2013. He spent his final season in 2014 in the Detroit Tigers organization.[6] In his minor league career, five seasons of which he played in Triple–A, he threw out 44% of attempted base stealers (145 of 184).[7]
Coaching career
editTampa Bay Rays
editAlbernaz began his coaching career in 2015. He served as a coach for the rookie–level Princeton Rays in the Appalachian League in 2015 and for the Low–A Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League in 2016.[8] He started the 2017 season as the third base and catching coach of the Triple–A Durham Bulls in the International League, before serving as the manager of Hudson Valley.[9] He served as the High–A Bowling Green Hot Rods' manager in the Midwest League in 2018.[9] He was named the 2018 Midwest League Manager of the Year.[1] Albernaz spent the 2019 season as one of the Rays minor league field coordinators.[8]
San Francisco Giants
editOn December 11, 2019, Albernaz was hired by the San Francisco Giants as their bullpen and catching coach.[8]
Cleveland Guardians
editOn November 10, 2023, the Cleveland Guardians hired Albernaz to be their bench coach.[10][11] On November 13, 2024, Albernaz was promoted to the role of assistant manager.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Sullivan, Greg (August 21, 2018). "Somerset High grad Craig Albernaz named Midwest League's Manager of the Year". The Herald News. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Schlesselman, Ben (January 11, 2013). "Eckerd Alum Albernaz Signs Another Minor League Deal With Tampa Bay Rays". Eckerd College. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Eckerd Alum Albernaz Named Midwest League Coach of the Year". Eckerd College Athletics.
- ^ "Eckerd Alum Albernaz Signs Another Minor League Deal With Tampa Bay Rays". Eckerd College Athletics.
- ^ Austin, George (June 10, 2009). "A homecoming for ballplayer". The Standard-Times. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Albernaz, Martin Depart Rays Organization". MiLB.com. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Craig Albernaz Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c "SFGiants Add Eight To Coaching Staff". MLB.com. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Hot Rods Name Craig Albernaz As Manager". Edmonson Voice. March 30, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Potosky, Logan (November 10, 2023). "REPORT: Guardians Name Craig Albernaz Major League Field Coordinator". si.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Cleveland Guardians Announce 2024 Major League Coaching Staff". si.com. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Guardians Promote Grant Fink To Hitting Coach". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Craig Albernaz on Twitter