Orioles officially name Brandon Hyde new manager

The Baltimore Orioles officially have their 43rd manager in franchise history.

Brandon Hyde, who had served as the Chicago Cubs' bench coach in 2018, was named Orioles manager Friday afternoon. He's the 20th manager to take the reins since the team moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season.

It was reported during this week's winter meetings in Las Vegas that the Orioles were set to name the 45-year-old Hyde as their new bench boss, but general manager Mike Elias said no official decision had been made. The Orioles will have an introductory press conference for Hyde on Monday.

Prior to Friday's announcement, the Orioles were the only major-league team without a skipper in place for the 2019 campaign. Elias said Hyde impressed most of all during a lengthy managerial pursuit.

"After conducting an intensive search, I believe we have found the ideal leader for the next era of Orioles baseball," Elias said in a statement. "Brandon's deep background in player development and Major League coaching, most recently helping to shape the Cubs into a World Champion, has thoroughly prepared him for this job and distinguished him throughout our interview process. I look forward to introducing him to our fans next week and to working together with him to build the next great Orioles team."

Hyde will take over a squad that scuffled to a major-league worst 47-115 record in 2018, resulting in the departures of manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette.