PRESS RELEASE
July 29, 2010

ORIOLES NAME BUCK SHOWALTER MANAGER

17th full-time Manager in club history to take over Monday, August 2

The Orioles today announced that BUCK SHOWALTER has been signed to a multi-year contract to serve as the club’s 17th full-time manager. Showalter will officially take the helm of the Orioles on Monday, August 2 and will be introduced in a press conference that day at Camden Yards.

Showalter, 54, has compiled an 882-833 record in 11 seasons as manager of the New York Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000) and Texas Rangers (2003-2006). A two-time Manager of the Year (1994 and 2004), Showalter’s 882 wins are 10th-most among active major league managers and 65th all-time.

Showalter spent the first 19 years of his professional baseball career in the New York Yankees organization, culminating in a four-year stint as manager from 1992-95. In 1994 Showalter earned AL Manager of the Year honors, guiding New York to a 70-43 record before the strike ended the season prematurely. The next season, he led the Yankees to their first playoff berth in 14 years and managed the American League All-Star team. He was the youngest manager in the major leagues in each of his four seasons in New York.

In November 1995, Showalter joined the Arizona Diamondbacks, 28 months before the expansion franchise began play, and helped shape the new team’s major league operations. In 1999, he guided the Diamondbacks to a 100-win season and the NL West division title, an improvement of 35 victories over the previous season, the most in major league history.

Showalter joined the Texas Rangers prior to the 2003 season and in 2004 guided the club to an 18-win improvement over the previous year, earning his second Manager of the Year honor.

In between managerial stints, Showalter has served as an analyst on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and ESPN Radio from 2001-02 and for the last several years.

"Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization" said Orioles President of Baseball Operations ANDY MACPHAIL. "We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future."

A native of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, Showalter graduated from Mississippi State University in 1979. He earned All-American honors in 1977 in his only season with the Bulldogs, batting a school record .459 and establishing a then-team mark with 44 RBI. A fifth-round selection by the Yankees in the 1977 draft, Showalter spent seven seasons as a first baseman and outfielder in the New York minor league system, batting .294 in 793 games.

Showalter’s managerial career began in 1985 with the Oneonta Yankees. He managed for five seasons in the Yankees minor league system, earning Eastern League Minor League Manager of the Year honors in 1989, prior to joining the major league coaching staff in 1990.

The Orioles have also announced that interim manager JUAN SAMUEL will return to his role as third base coach with the team. Samuel had compiled a 16-31 record through Wednesday’s game. The rest of the coaching staff will remain in their current roles, and GARY ALLENSON will return to Norfolk to manage the Triple-A Tides.