Hargrove Expected to Be Oriole Manager

The Baltimore Orioles are expected Wednesday to hire former Cleveland Indians skipper Mike Hargrove as their next manager, ending a 28-day search that involved nine candidates.

There had been a spirited internal debate over whether the successor to Ray Miller should be an organizational product, a talent with significant managerial experience in the major leagues or a rising star within the industry.

Hargrove, 50, would become the Orioles’ fifth manager during majority owner Peter Angelos’ six-year stewardship of the franchise.

An Oriole spokesman said Tuesday night that no news conference had yet been scheduled. However, a source familiar with the situation said there was an “excellent” chance Hargrove would arrive today from his Richfield, Ohio, residence.

On Monday, Hargrove said, “I came away feeling good. Hopefully, we’ll get this done,” but Tuesday he sidestepped the issue, citing sensitive timing. “I really can’t say anything about it,” he said. “I don’t know everything involved.”