A former Long Beach State Dirtbags player has been named the 2023 Major League Baseball American League (AL) Manager of the Year for his impressive leadership of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022-23 season.
Brandon Hyde was recognized through a landslide victory, earning 27 of the 30 first-place votes for AL Manager of the Year. He is only the fourth Oriole manager to earn the title.
The MLB also recognized Baltimore Orioles Executive Mike Elias as Executive of the Year and player Gunnar Henderson as Rookie of the Year.
Hyde played for Long Beach State in 1997, hitting three home runs and racking up 14 RBIs through 40 appearances for the Dirtbags. He went on to play 200 minor league games before managing various teams in the Florida Marlins’ minor league system from 2005 to 2009.
From there, Hyde held multiple coaching positions for the Chicago Cubs from 2013 to 2018.
Hyde became the Orioles’ manager in 2019, when the team was regularly losing over 100 games a season and after the team had just lost its star hitter, Manny Machado. By 2022, the Orioles boasted a 83-79 record and in 2023, they were one of three MLB teams to win at least 100 games, with a 101-61 record.
This past season was the first time the Baltimore Orioles earned at least 100 wins in a season since 1980.
Hyde managed the Orioles through its first American League East title since 2014, and their first No. 1 seed playoff appearance since 2016.
The Orioles were knocked out of the first round of the postseason, dropping three games in a row to the Texas Rangers, who went on to win the World Series.
“I thought we had a really special season, and to win 101 games in the big leagues is so hard to do,” Hyde told local media. “And how we fought for six months and continue to improve. I’m just really looking forward to next year already and just really proud of the year we had.”
I didn’t realize that the LBU team name was “Dirtbags”; I saw this in the headline and thought it was a derogatory term.