Showalter fired after 47115 year
Orioles skipper was AL’s manager of the year three times
BALTIMORE» Buck Showalter has been fired as manager of the Orioles, who made three playoff appearances under his guidance but this year staggered through the worst season since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954.
Showalter confirmed the dismissal Wednesday in a text message to The Associated Press.
A threetime AL manager of the year, Showalter ranks second on the Orioles’ career list with 669 victories, trailing Earl Weaver. He took over in August 2010 and orchestrated the resurgence of a team that suffered through 14 straight losing seasons.
Once hailed for making baseball in Baltimore relevant again, the 62yearold Showalter is out of a job after a season in which the Orioles finished 47115, 61 games behind Boston in the AL East. His contract expired at the end of October, and the Orioles opted against a renewal as they continue a major rebuild that began in late July, when they traded stars Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Jonathan Schoop and Kevin Gausman for minorleague prospects.
Those deals were made by Dan Duquette, the executive vice president of baseball operations, who also was fired later Wednesday.
Showalter earned AL manager of the year honors in 2014 after taking the Orioles to the AL East title and a berth in the Championship Series. He was also named manager of year with the Yankees in 1994 and Texas in 2004. His career record is 1,5511,517, including 669684 with Baltimore.
“I just think ever since he came here, the franchise just gained a little more accountability, gained an edge for some time,” Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said before the final game of the season. “It’s the end of an era. A great manager, a great tenure. I don’t know if he’s going to coach or manage again, but he’s got grandchildren. Go golf. Relax and go sit on the golf course.”
With his future in doubt, Showalter appeared undaunted during the final series of the regular season.
“You know how good they’ve been to me? I’m not ever going to forget that, regardless of what happens,” he said.
Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin was asked before his team’s playoff game against the Yankees on Wednesday night whether Showalter was victimized by the trend toward analytics.
“I don’t think Buck was a guy that ignored analytics,” Melvin said. “I think it was probably a combination of how they did this year and maybe some relationships.”
After the Orioles brought Showalter out of retirement, he offered renewed hope by fashioning a 3423 finish in 2010 for a team that was 3273 upon his arrival.
Baltimore ended a 14year playoff drought in 2012, advancing to the AL Division Series following a victory over Texas in the wildcard game. Playoff appearances in 2014 and 2016 followed.
Last year, however, the Orioles fell to 7587 after losing 19 of their final 23 games. Baltimore hoped the addition of starters Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner would enable the team to be a contender this year, but a horrid start quickly dispelled that notion.