Orioles may have a secret weapon that fans may not even realize existed until now

The Baltimore Orioles enter the 2026 season with many new faces on the coaching staff, chief among them new manager Craig Alernaz. But fans may want to get used to another name: Joe Singley. He is Baltimore's catching coach and field coordinator and the Orioles believe he can be a secret weapon for them this season.

It's rare to find a 28-year-old coach in an MLB dugout, but Singley's stock has risen very quickly. He was with the Cincinnati Reds as an assistant catching coach and then spent 2025 with the Miami Marlins.

Young catching coach Joe Singley could be a key addition for the Orioles

Albernaz has never worked directly with him before, but maybe he leaned on his old boss Gabe Kapler, formerly the manager of the Giants when Albernaz was a catching coach to get a scouting report on the young coach.

Albernaz has been absolutely effusive in his praise of the young Singley, calling him the best catching coach in the game. That's pretty high praise from a guy who paid his dues and came up as a coach in the minor leagues before getting an opportunity in the big leagues with San Francisco.

Not only does he have Singley helping out the catchers, but in his duties as field coordinator he puts together schedules for the teams drills and workouts so he has a big hand in organizing how the team is getting ready for the regular season. Singley said that the opportunity to work with Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, who he called two of the best catchers in the game, got him really excited about his role with Baltimore.

It will be especially interesting to see how he can assist with Basallo's development. The top prospect struggled a bit in his brief big league debut last season, but maybe having a younger guy like Singley in his corner can really help him take the next step and become a productive player at the big league level even, if the Orioles do have some backup plans in case he struggles.

Singley also figures to have a role in determining how often, and when, the team utilizes the ABS challenge system. In spring training the Orioles have seemingly been reluctant to use it that much, but that may change once the season begins.

It may be unorthodox to have such a young guy in the dugout, but if Singley helps the Orioles win games, then fans will not care how old he is.