WCBC

November 9th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

It was clear that former Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter loved Baltimore. WBAL reports Showalter penned a letter to Baltimore fans Friday on BaltimoreBaseball.com after the team announced in October that Showalter would not return next season.

"When I met with Andy MacPhail about the Orioles job, I knew Baltimore was a great baseball city," Showalter wrote.

The Orioles made three playoff appearances under Showalter's guidance, but this year staggered through the worst season since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954.

A three-time AL Manager of the Year, Showalter ranks second on the Orioles' career list with 669 victories, trailing Earl Weaver. He took over in August 2010 and orchestrated the resurgence of a team that suffered through 14 straight losing seasons.

The Orioles — and Baltimore — will be hard pressed to find a better fit.

"Baltimore's got a great blue-collar feel to it. I knew that it kind of fit what I was looking for, a place that you could sink your teeth into and feel like you could make an impact and was in need of what you had the potential to bring," Showalter wrote. "I always enjoyed going around the country talking about the virtues of Baltimore, some of the great things that we have there. I think a lot of people that grew up in Baltimore respected that and knew that I was trying to do what’s best for Baltimore."