Two key things are starting to jump out with the new managing and coaching staff the Baltimore Orioles are building.
One: The new members have worked or played with Craig Albernaz at some point and time in their careers.
Two: Offense will be the focal point of the Birds’ team philosophy.
It was announced on Wednesday that skipper Craig Albernaz has selected Donnie Ecker to be his right-hand man, the new bench coach for the Orioles.
Albernaz and Ecker overlapped each other when working with the San Francisco Giants in 2020 and 2021. At the time, Albernaz was bullpen and catching coach while Ecker was the team’s hitting coach.
Ecker, 39, was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 22nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft. The Bakersfield native would play minor league ball from 2007-2008, when he hit .268/.360/.371/.731 before moving to independent ball from 2009-2010. He slashed .291/.391/.401/.792 in 172 at-bats before retiring in 2011.
Ecker’s coaching career began that same year, when he became an assistant coach and then head coached Los Altos High School in California, the same high school he graduated from in 2004.
During his stint from 2011-2014, Ecker coached a college development amateur baseball program, California Club Baseball. In his three seasons, he led the team to three consecutive COLT World Series Titles.
His professional coaching career started in 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, followed by stints with the Los Angeles Angels minor league system.
In 2019, the Cincinnati Reds hired Ecker to their big league squad as an assistant hitting coach before he crossed paths with Albernaz and new Orioles hitting coach Dustin Lind with the Giants.
In November of 2021, the Rangers hired Ecker to be their bench coach and offensive coordinator, a role he held until 2024.
The Rangers would remove the role of bench coach from Ecker for the 2025 season for him to solely focus on the offensive side of the ball. They dismissed him on May 4 of 2025, less than two years after the Rangers won their first World Series.
Ecker will be taking over a role in Baltimore that was previously held by Robinson Chirinos, who was the O’s bench coach for only the 2025 season.
It was also announced that third base coach Buck Britton, pitching coaches Drew French and Ryan Klimek and bullpen coach Mitch Plassmeyer will all be staying with the team.
We would like to welcome Donnie Ecker to Baltimore and wish him nothing but success as he helps guide our team back to prominence.
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