Report: Guardians to interview SF Giants coach during managerial search

The Cleveland Guardians will interview SF Giants bullpen and catching coach Craig Albernaz during their search for a new manager, per Susan Slusser.
Report: Guardians to interview SF Giants coach during managerial search
Report: Guardians to interview SF Giants coach during managerial search /

The Cleveland Guardians have been granted permission to interview current SF Giants bullpen and catching coach Craig Albernaz to become their next manager, according to a report by Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. Albernaz has been with the Giants since he was hired by former manager Gabe Kapler prior to the 2020 season. He has served in the same position for the past four seasons but began spending games in the dugout (instead of the bullpen) this season, taking a more direct role in in-game decisions.

The Guardians are looking for a manager to replace future Hall of Famer Terry Francona, who announced he was stepping away from the team at the end of the season. While the Giants fired manager Gabe Kapler on Friday, the staff he built in San Francisco has built a strong reputation around the league during their tenure. As many of them face uncertain futures with the organization following Kapler's questionable firing, many will likely look for jobs in other organizations rather than wait for the Giants' search to play out. Even if Albernaz is unlikely to receive the Guardians' job, an impressive interview could put him in position to become a bench coach (or other assistant) on the team's next staff.

Albernaz was signed as a nondrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Eckerd College in 2006. Albernaz was never close to a league-average hitter in the minor leagues, posting a .199/.276/.254 triple-slash over his nine career seasons. However, he was an exceptional defensive backstop and quickly moved through the Rays system as a glove-first backup catcher. While he never reached the major leagues, Albernaz spent parts of five different seasons at Triple-A in the Rays organization before he finished out his playing career with the Tigers' Double-A affiliate in 2014.

Following his decision to retire as a player, Albernaz immediately transitioned to the coaching ranks, working as a coach with the Rays Appalachian League affiliate in 2015. Over the next few years, Albernaz served as a manager for multiple Rays affiliates, winning the 2018 Midwest League Manager of the Year award. In 2019, though, he left a single team's coaching staff to become one of Tampa Bay's field coordinators.

Since joining the SF Giants' staff, Craig Albernaz has worked closely with a long list of defensive catchers, including Buster Posey and Patrick Bailey. However, his most impressive work has probably come over the past two seasons, when less successful big-league catchers Joey Bart and Blake Sabol each took significant steps forward defensively under Albernaz's tutelage.


Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).