When the Orioles announced their new coaching staff last week, it seemed to catch everyone by surprise when it didn’t include a bench coach to help Brandon Hyde with game management.
It really shouldn’t have raised any eyebrows. Though major league managers almost always designate one of their coaches to act as a wingman in the dugout, having someone exclusively dedicated to that role would seem to be far less important during the first full season of a rebuilding year than it might be otherwise.
General manager Mike Elias basically said as much at FanFest last Saturday.