Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was named the 2023 American League Manager of the Year, becoming the first Oriole to win the award since 2014 and fourth overall.
Hyde joins Frank Robinson (1989), Davey Johnson (1997) and Buck Showalter (2014) as Orioles skippers to win AL Manager of the Year. Hyde earned 144 points in the balloting, as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Texas’ Bruce Bochy, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash and Minnesota’s Rocco Baldelli were among those who also received votes.
Hyde, 50, joined the Orioles following the 2018 season, during which the club went 47-115 and kicked off a massive rebuilding effort. Hyde was hired by general manager Mike Elias to shepherd the major league team through difficult years and develop talent at the highest level. Hyde was considered a fit for the job given his track record as a minor league player, manager, field coordinator and farm director and major league coach.
Despite posting a 131-253 mark from 2019-2021, the Orioles developed several players who went on to become key contributors once the club began winning, including Austin Hays, Dean Kremer, Cedric Mullins, John Means, Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander and Tyler Wells.
The Orioles began to turn the corner in 2022 when they went 83-79. Key prospects Kyle Bradish, DL Hall, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman were promoted to the majors throughout the season, providing a major infusion of talent to help the club compete in the AL East. The bullpen was also much improved, giving Hyde the ammunition to close out games.
Hyde finished second in the 2022 AL Manager of the Year voting, behind Cleveland’s Terry Francona.
The Orioles then took another step forward in 2023, winning the AL East for the first time since 2014 and 100-plus games for the first time since 1980. Hyde became the first manager since Connie Mack to guide a team to 100 wins after losing 100 games with that same club. He is credited with maintaining a consistent, positive culture that allows players to get the most out of their abilities.
The next step for Hyde is to lead the Orioles to success in October. Baltimore was swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS last month.
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