Major League Baseball

Showalter hired as Orioles manager

Published Jul. 29, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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Ken Rosenthal

Buck Showalter will be the Orioles' next manager, according to a major-league source.

Showalter will take over for Juan Samuel on Tuesday night at Camden Yards against the Los Angeles Angels, finish the season and then begin a three-year contract through 2013, the source said.

Showalter, who previously managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers, had been working as an ESPN analyst.

ESPN was the first to report his hiring.

Showalter won AL Manager of the Year awards with Texas and the New York Yankees. He also guided the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Orioles have the worst record in the majors and are headed toward their 13th straight losing season. They fired manager Dave Trembley last month and replaced him on an interim basis with Juan Samuel.

''Buck Showalter's proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles,'' president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a statement. ''We believe Buck's extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.''

The 54-year-old Showalter also was the first manager in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was hired well in advance and given time to put the Diamondbacks in position to contend once they started playing in 1998. He was fired after the 2000 season, and Arizona won the World Series the next year.

''My job with ESPN allowed me to follow this organization closely over the last several years, and although the current record may seem to indicate otherwise, I see enormous potential with this club,'' Showalter said in a statement released by the team. ''I look forward to the challenge of competing in the American League East. Baltimore is a tremendous baseball town with passion and pride in its club, and my family and I look forward to making it our new home.''

A former minor league player who never made it to the majors, Showalter is known for a strong will and an obsession with fundamentals, details and preparation — he would often sleep in his office when there was a day game following a night game.

Showalter also does not tolerate players acting like stars, even if they are top talents. He feuded with Alex Rodriguez in 2003, when they were together in Texas.

Showalter's last year as a manager was 2006 with the Rangers. His overall record is 882-833 in 11 years.

In Baltimore, Showalter faces an especially tough task.

The once-proud franchise has fallen on hard times since reaching the playoffs in 1997, usually finishing far behind rich AL powers Boston and the Yankees. No one pitcher currently on the Orioles has more than four victories this year and no hitter is at .300.

The Orioles interviewed former major league managers Bobby Valentine and Eric Wedge, ex-Baltimore catcher Rick Dempsey and Samuel before settling on Showalter.

MacPhail wanted to have a manager in place this season, to give the newcomer a better chance to evaluate the talent in Baltimore. MacPhail joined the franchise in June 2007.

Trembley was one of four managers to be fired this year. Kansas City's Trey Hillman, Arizona's A.J. Hinch and Florida's Fredi Gonzalez also were dismissed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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