The Athletics announced that Mark Kotsay will take over as their third base coach in 2021. He’ll succeed Al Pedrique, whom the team parted with in October. The rest of the A’s coaching staff from last season will remain intact.
Kotsay is a former major league outfielder who spent part of his career (2004-07) as a member of the A’s. Since his playing days ended in 2013, Kotsay has garnered coaching and front office experience with a pair of teams. The Padres, with whom he also played, hired him as a special assistant and then a hitting coach in 2014. He spent a year there before heading back to Oakland.
The third base coach role will be the third different assignment Kotsay has had during his time on the A’s staff. He started as their bench coach but later became their quality control coach. Kotsay has since generated managerial interest around the majors, including from the Tigers this offseason. The 44-year-old figures to remain on other teams’ radars going forward.
BIG news for a’s fans … (you know the rest) :-)
Yup, Mark Kotsay will take over Bob Melvin’s job in the future.
Bob Melvin has a 7-13 record (a paltry .350 winning %) in the postseason with the A’s but no one ever talks about it. Doesn’t that seem like a major problem for a contending team? Managers get fired shortly after winning titles but all Melvin gets is showered in excuses from the press.
Interesting how no one brings up how he has literally never been good at managing in the postseason. Smells like a choker to me? But I’m not sure how a manager can choke, maybe more like “exposed for bad practices”???
Yup, because we all know managers win postseason games and not the team they are given to run out there. I don’t know why teams even bother signing expensive players.
You don’t think batting order matters? Or bullpen use? Or situational hitting? All of those are massively influenced by the manager.
The fact the Melvin even manages to bring these mediocre teams to the postseason and win 90+ games goes to show he’s doing well. Postseason is a crap shoot. If your players don’t perform in the 5 games they get, what can you do?
@marty
Nice to see such love for my A’s.
Remind me if Bob Melvin has won manager of the year awards or not. Sure he’d rather have a ring, but leave the silly brickbats for looking in the mirror please.
You sound bitter. What’s your team?
Might as well make Kotsay a coach/player. He could probably be a good bench bat even at 44 years old.
Damn Marty has a massive hate on for my A’s. That means he’s either an Angels, M’s, Rangers, Trashtros or Yankees fan. Bob Melvin is an absolute rock of a manager. What he’s done with the A’s, he could do with almost any other team. Any team would be lucky to have a manager like him.
Since he was a pitcher in college, I wonder if he throws a mean BP?
He does! haha
Would not have guessed his playing days ended in 2013
What’ya hear what’ya say
isn’t Matt Chapman already the best third baseman in the league? why do they need a specific coach just for him, and a former outfielder at that? smh
Enjoyed this comment. Not 100% sure if it was meant to be funny,
Chapman is moving to SS and Pinder will be the 3B.
Grats Kots!