Baltimore Orioles to hire former Minnesota Twins assistant bench/first base/catching coach Hank Conger as bullpen coach under new manager Craig Albernaz
The Baltimore Orioles are hiring former Minnesota Twins assistant bench/catching/first base coach Hank Conger as their bullpen coach under newly-hired manager Craig Albernaz, according to MLB.com's Jake Rill. The team has yet to announce the addition of Conger.
Conger will work under Albernaz, whom the Orioles hired to be their new manager this offseason. Baltimore had high expectations entering the 2025 season, having made the postseason the two seasons prior. However, regression and injuries to key players led the team to struggle so much that they fired manager Brandon Hyde in May. The team ended the season last in the American League East with a 75-87 win-loss record. The Orioles hope Conger can play a big part in a turnaround next season.
The Twins hired Conger to be their first base/catching coach under manager Rocco Baldelli in 2022. He held the roles through the 2024 season. Then, Minnesota promoted him to assistant bench coach in the 2024-25 offseason. It's unclear if Conger made the decision to leave the Twins on his own or if the front office and newly-hired manager Derek Shelton just wanted to swap him for a fresh face.
Before he coached for the Twins, Conger accepted a job as the catching coach for the Lotte Giants of the KBO in December of 2019.
Prior to his coaching career, Conger spent parts of seven seasons as a backup catcher in MLB. The Los Angeles Angels selected him in the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He was a highly regarded prospect, making his MLB debut in September of 2010. The Angels traded him to the Houston Astros for Carlos Perez and Nick Tropeano in the 2014-15 offseason. He then spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016.
Conger appeared in 373 MLB games, posting a slash line of .221/.294/.366 (86 OPS+) with 31 homers and 114 RBI. He briefly appeared in the playoffs with the Angels in 2014 and the Astros in 2015. In parts of nine minor league seasons, he hit .286/.348/.453 with 71 homers and 373 RBI.