Last week I dropped the Choose Your New Nats Manager quiz and I appreciate the enthusiastic response. I did not formally take statistics of the quiz results however I followed along as people shared their answers on social media and noticed three candidates that came up the most frequently. What’s interesting is that they come from three distinct branches of potential managers and I thought it was worth assessing the wisdom of the crowd.
The Former Manager – Brandon Hyde
Former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde came up often as the leader of the pack for folks who wanted someone with prior MLB managerial experience. Hyde led the Orioles since 2019 with a .461 winning percentage, a division title and two playoff appearances where he lost in the first round. Where Hyde differentiates himself from some of his fellow managers is in his player development experience. Hyde worked for five years as minor league manager for the Miami Marlins along with stints as a minor league hitting coach and infield coordinator. He also has experience managing a very young Orioles team as it transitioned from tanking to contending, a position the Nationals hope to find themselves in.
There’s no doubt the Orioles were a disappointment this year however there should be some doubts about how much should be laid at Hyde’s feet. Orioles GM Mike Elias had a shockingly quiet offseason that was a target for criticism even before the O’s faceplanted out of the gate. Going with Hyde is a bet that the 2023 Manager of the Year did not suddenly forget how to manage when he was given a roster without a starting rotation. In a bit of serendipity, in 2014 Hyde was replaced by Davey Martinez as the Chicago Cubs bench coach, when the Cubs hired Joe Maddon as their manager, Hyde may now have the chance to return the favor.
The Coach in Waiting – Craig Albernaz
As frequently as I saw people say they got Cleveland Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz in the quiz, I just as frequently saw people say they have no idea who he is. Albernaz is a small-time baseball lifer, playing at tiny Eckerd College and in the Rays minor league system as a catcher for eight years, before become a minor league coach and then manager for the Rays. Albernaz finally made it to the Majors in 2019 as the Giants bullpen and catching coach, before joining the Guardians in 2023 as their bench coach with a promotion to associate manager in 2024. That gives him a leg up on other candidates in player development and experience in the top organizations in baseball.
That promotion likely came as a result of Albernaz being the talk of the 2024 managerial cycle as he turned down not one, but two different manager positions with the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox to stick with the Guardians. In a subsequent interview Albernaz made it clear that he still wants to be a manager, but he values waiting for the right position to open up. It’s easy to believe the Nats are a much better opportunity than two of the worst organizations in sports and for some measure of objectivity to support that, The Athletic ranked them as the 4th best opening this offseason.
On a lighter note, Albernaz has a thick Boston accent, which may help new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni feel more at home as he transitions away from the Red Sox front office.
The Former Player – Rickie Weeks Jr.
It is a bit unfair to put Rickie Weeks Jr. into the former player box, because unlike some recent former player hires, Weeks has coaching experience as the Milwaukee Brewers Associate Manager since 2024. Weeks would also be joining a new organization for the first time instead of being a pure nostalgia hire. As a player, Weeks had a successful, if unspectacular career mostly with the Brewers, playing in 1324 games across 14 seasons with a career 106 wRC+ and 18.1 fWAR at second base. After his playing career ended in 2017 Weeks took some time away from the game before joining the Brewers front office as an assistant to the player development staff in 2022. After Craig Counsell defected for the Cubs, Weeks moved from the front office to the dugout becoming the Associate Manager under Pat Murphy.
Besides his player experience, Weeks’ big strength comes from being a part of the Brewers organization, which is arguably the best in baseball. The Mets and Cubs came in and took the GM (David Stearns) and Manager (Counsell) but the organization keeps on trucking, using ruthless efficiency to power to the best record in baseball in 2025. They’ve made the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons and won three straight division titles, two with Weeks in the dugout.
While Weeks may have more experience than the typical vanity player pick, he is still leagues behind the likes of Hyde or Albernaz. Going with Weeks will be betting on his ability to relate to the Nationals star players and teach them how to manage the grind of a full season.
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