Another week, another managerial change in Major League Baseball. This time, the Baltimore Orioles fired Brandon Hyde after a 15-28 start to the season. Hyde becomes the third manager to be fired in the league in as many weeks.
Underperforming Orioles Fire Brandon Hyde (Opening Up an Intriguing Managerial Vacancy)
Given the bleak state of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, the firings of managers Derek Shelton and Bud Black were not surprising. The Baltimore Orioles, who won 101 games in 2023 and the American League East, as well as 94 more wins last season, ended Brandon Hyde’s tenure over the weekend following a concerning slow start.
“As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement issued by the team. “Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future.”
Given the Orioles’ roster’s star power, expectations were high again this season, coming off three consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back playoff appearances. However, the team has underperformed, starting the season at 15-28, the fourth-worst record in baseball and 10 1/2 games behind first place in the division.
Baltimore lost staff ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency and was unable to replace him during the offseason. This contributed to the team’s 5.33 ERA, which is last in the American League. The offense has also received criticism, with only three runs exceeding five this month.
Hyde’s firing marks the first time three MLB managers have been fired before June 1st since 2002. Unlike the vacancies in Colorado and Pittsburgh, Baltimore’s manager position is intriguing and could attract a big name, given the team’s talented offensive stars.
Will Pete Rose Make it to Cooperstown?
After Major League Baseball removed former player and manager Pete Rose from the league’s permanently ineligible list (along with a list of others facing the same ban), the question arose as to whether Rose’s reprieve would be enough to get him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rob Manfred has attempted to deny that Rose’s potential Cooperstown case was the driving force behind the decision, but there is no way to deny that it is the only practical reason to do so. Rose’s path to Cooperstown will be difficult to navigate, even now that it is possible.
Rose’s induction into the Hall of Fame would be decided by the “era committee,” a 16-member panel comprised of Hall of Famers, baseball executives, media members, and historians.
This group determines who meets its criteria, but writers, who vote on most Hall of Fame candidates, will still have a say in the process. The writers act as a “screening committee,” presenting the era committee with a list of names to consider.
If that group of writers decides Rose’s transgressions should no longer outweigh his contributions to the game, he will need 12 of the 16 era committee votes. That panel will meet again in December 2027, which means Rose could be inducted as early as 2028.
According to The Athletic’s Alex Kirshner and Sam Settleman, Rose’s most significant hurdle will be making the era committee’s list in December 2027.
While the majority of the committee members are older and more closely related to Rose’s era, many of the writers who will have to nominate him are younger and appear to be less forgiving of Rose’s long list of transgressions, which range from baseball betting to sexual misconduct allegations, including statutory rape claims.
Rose was accused of having sexual relations with a minor in the 1970s, according to a 2017 lawsuit. He denied the allegations during a 2022 on-field event in Philadelphia.
While Rose’s on-field resume is unquestionably Cooperstown worthy, his past transgressions raise questions about his moral compass.
Kirschner and Settleman discussed Rose’s case and their interpretation of how the groups deciding on his baseball legacy are weighing his accomplishments and flaws. Check it out here:
The Automated Ball-Strike System Feels Inevitable, But There’s Still Work to be Done
During Spring Training, fans got their first taste of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). At this point, the automated strikezone system appears to be an unavoidable reality, but some players believe more work needs to be done before it makes its debut.
Corbin Burnes, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher and a member of the sport’s joint competition committee, believes there is more room for error than fans and players realize. “There is a margin for error, which I believe fans and many players are unaware of,” Burnes stated (via The Athletic).
Burnes is referring to a gap of about a half-inch between the pitch location and where the Hawk Eye system positions the ball. While this may not appear to be much, it is significant enough for Burnes and other players to request additional information about the technology and process from the league.
More from Ken Rosenthal in his most recent column:
Other MLB News and Notes
- Phillies top prospect Mick Abel debuted over the weekend and tossed six shutout innings en route to his first major league win. Philies beat writer Charlotte Varnes spoke with Abel on his experience over the weekend:
- In other Phillies news, closer José Alvarado was suspended 80 games Sunday by MLB after testing positive for PEDs — and is ineligible for the playoffs once he returns.
- Houston Astros—and former Cubs—right-hander Hayden Wesneski will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2025 season. Wesneski was placed on the injured list on May 7 with elbow discomfort. Wesneski was part of the return from Chicago for outfielder Kyle Tucker. This season, he made six starts for the Astros before hitting the injured list.
- Clayton Kershaw returned over the weekend, tossing four innings in his first of the season. Kershaw allowed five earned runs and was hit hard consistently, begging the question: How much does the 37-year-old southpaw have left in the tank? Sam Blum tries to answer that question in his latest column:
