During last week’s end-of-season press conference with Orioles GM Mike Elias, he committed to manager Brandon Hyde for the 2025 season but did not make the same statement regarding the entire coaching staff. According to MASN’s Roch Kubatko, numerous staff members, including co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller, bench coach Fredi González, and big league coach Jose Hernández, will not be returning in 2025.During last week’s end-of-season press conference with Orioles GM Mike Elias, he committed to manager Brandon Hyde for the 2025 season but did not make the same statement regarding the entire coaching staff. On Friday morning, MASN’s Roch Kubatko reported on multiple changes coming to that staff, including co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller, bench coach Fredi González, and major league coach Jose Hernández all not coming back for 2025.
Beyond this report, other coaching staff changes may occur. Kubatko stated that the team has not announced any changes and will not comment on what it considers personnel issues. Later in the offseason, they’ll simply issue a press release regarding the coaching staff, and that’s it. It’s possible that in each of these circumstances, the firings were more of a decision not to extend expired contracts.
For those wanting to blame hitting coaches for the team’s second-half slump and the offense’s two-game postseason disappearance, the fact that at least one of the two has changed is a good symbolic triumph. Before joining the big league staff, Fuller worked as a minor league hitting coach and as the hitting coach for Double-A Bowie. Co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte and offensive strategy coach Cody Asche appear to be staying for the time being.
González took on the job of “bench coach as former manager,” bringing over a decade of experience in that role with the Marlins and Braves to the Orioles in 2020. Since 1999, he has virtually exclusively coached or managed at the Major League Baseball level.
Hernández has been with the Orioles in some capacity for the past 15 years. The designation of “major league coach” is an ambiguous one, but for those looking for symbolic change, Hernández previously served as the team’s assistant hitting coach.
From the outside, it’s impossible to tell how much each of these players may have contributed to the problem, or whether their rumored departure from the club indicates that the Orioles believe they are part of the problem. What we can say is that they do not appear to have contributed to the solution. As the team hires new members and considers adjustments to its philosophy, they hope to return to a successful formula.
