Tony Mansolino wasn’t quite born to be a baseball manager – but it was close.

The Baltimore Orioles’ new interim manager has baseball in his blood as the son of Doug Mansolino, who coached more than 30 years for various organizations.

Tony, 42, has been Baltimore’s third-base coach since 2018 under Brandon Hyde, who was fired Saturday as the expected contender Orioles wallow with a 15-28 record.

“As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future.

“I want to thank Brandon for his hard work, dedication and passion all these years, and for returning the team to the playoffs and winning an AL East championship. His many positive contributions to this organization and to Baltimore will remain, and we wish he and his family the best.”

The new skipper played at Vanderbilt and was drafted in the 26^th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005. He played first, second and third base in the minors but hit only .214 over four seasons. After three more years in independent ball, he turned to coaching in the Cleveland Indians’ organization.

He was a hitting coach across four levels from 2011 to 2015, managed Class A Lake County in 2016 and guided Lynchburg to a co-championship in the High-A Carolina League in 2017. In 2018, he managed Akron to the Double-A Eastern League Finals and a hyear later took Triple-A Columbus to the International League title.

In 2020, he was Cleveland’s infield coordinator under manager Terry Francona.

I interviewed Mansolino entering the 2018 season at Akron. Everything he said then gives an insight into his views on the game.

Tony Mansolino In 2018

“I grew up in the game and he’s my hero in so many ways,” Tony said of his dad during a brief break at spring training in Goodyear, Az., just before this season. “As a player, I was probably short, skill-wise, compared to other guys. I tried to hang in there until I could get to this side of it. I got started in coaching at age 28 and feel fortunate to be in the Indians’ organization. They look to develop coaches, managers, as well as players.”

Mansolino, 35, is in his eighth season in the Indians’ organization, third as a manager, after five years as a minor-league hitting instructor including 2015 in Akron. Last year, he guided Lynchburg to a co-championship in the Class A Carolina League.

Some of those players will be in Akron this year, including prize pitching prospect Triston McKenzie. The lanky (6-foot-5, 165 pounds) right-hander went 12-6 in 2017, allowing only 105 hits while striking out 186 in 143 innings.

Akron fans got a glimpse of another right-hand prospect in Shane Bieber last year. The 22-year-old went 2-1 in nine starts at Akron after a 6-1 mark in 14 starts at Lynchburg following a promotion from Lake County. Overall, Bieber struck out 162 and walked only 10 a year ago.

More numbers like that will quickly shoot both prospects to a higher level.

Mansolino was proud of Lynchburg’s 87-52 record, but happier with how it was achieved.

“We had some guys who can play defense, swing the bat and run the bases,” he said. “There were a lot of players who could do a little bit of everything. That’s a style you want as opposed to just a guy who bombs. You need a guy like that to drive in runs, sure, but he’s got to be a good defender to make the whole thing work.”

How many of those players get to Akron depends on how many RubberDucks move up. There’s a backlog of talent in the organization. That’s good for the parent Cleveland Indians, potentially frustrating for young players eager to move ahead.

“That happens,” Mansolino said. “Whenever you have a Major League team contending for a World Series championship, you have a lot of talent at the upper levels of the minors because that big-league team wants protection. I do think the best young talent will eventually force the issue and move up by proving themselves.”

Tony Mansolino, Instructor

Mansolino likes the challenge of transforming a good prospect into a better one.

“I’m the manager and I make the decisions, but I love being on the field teaching more than anything,” he said. “The macro is the big picture for the organization and the micro is the teaching it.

“The object is to get these players to where they want to be in their careers and that doesn’t happen by always patting them on the back. A lot of times you have to have some tough conversations and put everything into perspective.

“You have to be yourself. You have to balance liking a guy with honesty. You’ve got to let the kids know you love them, you’re here for them. But you have to let them know that if we’re going to be here, we’re going to do it the right way.”

Dave Wallace, who guided Akron to the 2016 Eastern League championship and is now a special assistant working with players throughout the Indians’ system, says Mansolino understands the key to success.

“Players love to play for him,” Wallace said. “They recognize what he’s telling them pays off for their own careers. Tony is one of the bright young, smart guys in the game.”

Mansolino has plenty of youthful enthusiasm, too.

“I’m thrilled to be in Akron because you just know you have an ownership group and a fan base that knows baseball and is passionate about the game,” he said.

“When you see guys work through the system and something you may have had a small hand in three years ago has helped them get to the majors … that’s a reward for all the time you spend away from your own family to make your baseball family grow up, too.”

Tony Mansolino Now

The Orioles are seeking a new voice in the dugout. Hyde, in his post-game press conference Friday night after yet another loss, said as much.

Asked if he would get after the players following the loss, he patiently and calmly replied that he would not blast them, but probably talk, lamenting that they have heard it over and over from him already.

The new man likely will bring a tad of pugnacious energy that is needed to the club. He’s very big on analytics when tied to tried and true baseball fundamentals. I watched him on the back fields during spring training in the Cleveland camp for years sharing instructional duties with former big-leaguers Travis Fryman, Carlos Baerga and John McDonald. He listened to all of them with respect, then a few times offered a couple of ideas. The former stars tried them out and sometimes put them in the plans. It was a good mix, as Cleveland long has been admired as an organization that develops winning ballplayers.

Tony Mansolino inherits a ballclub with a shaky pitching staff decimated by injuries. There is not much he can do to bring hurlers back to health.

He also is in charge of a lineup that should be scoring plenty of runs to overcome some poor pitching. Mansolino can’t swing the bats for these under-performers, but his high-energy, positive outlook may get them out of their funk.

Tony Mansolino has 4 1/2 months left to get the Orioles flying high again. It is a daunting task, but not impossible. It at least should be fun to watch.