The Baltimore Orioles were either leading the American League East, or within arm’s length of the New York Yankees, for most of the 2024 regular season. A 9-11 finish, followed by an elimination in the best-of-three Wild Card series by the Kansas City Royals, put a damper on the end of the season.
It also spelled the end for three coaches in the organization.
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According to multiple reports Friday, the Orioles are not bringing back co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller, bench coach Fredi González, and major league coach José Hernández in 2025.
MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko was first to report the dismissals. It is not known whether any of the three coaches had a contract for 2025.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 27: Fredi González #57 of the Baltimore Orioles and Rocco Baldelli #5 of the Minnesota Twins shake hands before the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field on September 27, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gonzalez was among three Orioles coaches let go Friday.
Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
González, 60, had been with the Orioles for the last five seasons. Initially hired as a coach, he was given the bench coach title prior to the 2022 season. Prior to joining the O’s, González had coached and managed the Florida Marlins (2007-10) and Atlanta Braves (2011-16).
In 10 seasons as a manager, González went 710-692. The Orioles went from a rebuilding team with the worst record in baseball in 2021 to a 101-win team in 2023.
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Fuller, 34, was hired by Baltimore in 2019, first working as a minor league hitting coordinator. He and Matt Borgschulte were promoted to co-hitting coaches prior to the 2022 season, with Borgschulte joining from the Minnesota Twins’ staff.
The Orioles slashed .255/.321/.421 (105 wRC+) as a team in 2023. They improved to a 115 wRC+ this season (.250/.315/.435), behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. However, they scored only one run between their two Wild Card losses to Kansas City.
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Hernández has served in a variety of roles over four years in the Baltimore organization. He spent two years as assistant hitting coach before the Orioles instituted their co-coaching arrangement.
Hernández, 54, played in 1,587 Major League games over a 15-year career (1991-06) with the Texas Rangers (1991), Cleveland Guardians (1992, 2005), Chicago Cubs (1994-99, 2003), Atlanta Braves (1999), Milwaukee Brewers (2000-02), Colorado Rockies (2003), Pittsburgh Pirates (2003, 2006), Los Angeles Dodgers (2004), and Philadelphia Phillies (2006).
At his season-ending press conference, Orioles general manager Mike Elias confirmed that manager Brandon Hyde would return in 2025 but did not elaborate on the plans for his coaching staff.
“As I try to look this offseason about what we can adjust in many different ways, whether that’s staffing, all the stuff I just mentioned, processes, information, all the things that we do around here, I need to find the appropriate balance with all the positivity that we’ve achieved with this bad taste in our mouths and bad outcome in the playoffs and a disappointing sort of second half overall,” Elias said, according to MASNsports.com. “I need some time to examine striking the right balance between analoging the positives of what’s going on here with our apparent shortcomings.”
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