Orioles Fire Manager Brandon Hyde amid 15-28 Start to 2025 MLB Season

Two years after being named American League Manager of the Year, Brandon Hyde has been fired by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles, who are off to a disappointing 15-28 start this season, announced Hyde's firing on Saturday with statements from general manager Mike Elias and owner David Rubenstein:

Third base coach Tony Mansolino will serve as Baltimore's interim manager. The move comes exactly one week after Hyde told reporters he wasn't worried about his job status and that everyone in the front office was supportive of the job he was doing.

Hyde helped to oversee the Orioles' rebuild when he was hired in December 2018. He replaced Buck Showalter when the team was coming off a 47-115 record during the 2018 season.

That was the fourth-worst record by any team in a season since 1960. Hyde took over in the very early stages of their rebuilding effort. They went 131-253 in his first three seasons, losing more than 100 games in both 2019 and 2021.

When the fruits of Baltimore's draft capital started to produce high-level MLB talent in 2022, the team dramatically improved. The O's had a 31-win jump from 2021 (52) to 2022 (83), led by Adley Rutschman finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and a terrific end-of-season performance from Gunnar Henderson after he got called up in August.

The first full season with Henderson and Rutschman in 2023 produced huge results. The Orioles won the AL East and finished 101-61. It was their first 100-win season since 1980 and Hyde was named AL Manager of the Year.

Things have been trending down for the organization since the start of 2024. They made the playoffs last season with a 91-71 record, but they played just .500 ball after the All-Star break (33-33) and were swept in the AL Wild Card series by the Kansas City Royals.

Baltimore's struggles this season are part of a collective failure from Hyde, the front office and ownership for failing to properly address the pitching staff after losing Corbin Burnes in free agency.

Despite having Henderson and Rutschman making a combined $6.3 million this season and under team control for multiple years, the Orioles' big pitching acquisitions were Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano.

Morton has allowed nearly as many earned runs (34) as innings pitched (36.2) in 11 appearances, and he's already been dropped from the rotation. Sugano has been fine with a 3.08 ERA thus far.

There are other aspects of the roster that Hyde could hold blame for. Rutschman is only hitting .214/.309/.345 in 41 games. Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall prospect in MLB in 2023 and 2024, has a .219/.284/.345 slash line in 98 games since debuting in the big leagues last year.

Given how many graduations the Orioles have had in the past two years, their farm system is no longer among the best in MLB. The lack of development at the highest level for some of those top prospects, Holliday in particular, has contributed to them only having a better record than the Chicago White Sox in the AL.

Hyde finished his tenure in Baltimore with a 421-492 overall record. He went 0-5 in two playoff appearances.