Mark Kotsay will move from the third base coaching box to the manager’s office for the Oakland A’s, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
Kotsay, 46, will be a first-time manager after spending seven years as a major league coach, the past six on the staff of Oakland manager Bob Melvin. Last month, Melvin left the A’s to become the San Diego Padres’ manager.
The A’s went 86-76 last season, leaving Melvin with an 853-764 record in Oakland. Melvin guided the Athletics to the postseason six times in 11 years.
Kotsay had a 17-year major league career as an outfielder before spending the 2014 season as an assistant to the Padres’ front office and then serving as San Diego’s hitting coach in 2015.
He was the Athletics’ bench coach in 2016, then was a quality control coach under Melvin for four years prior to a one-year stint as third base coach.
Kotsay played for the then-Florida Marlins (1997-2000), San Diego (2001-03, 2012-13), Oakland (2004-07), Atlanta Braves (2008), Boston Red Sox (2008-09), Chicago White Sox (2009-10) and Milwaukee Brewers (2011).
In 1,914 major league games, he produced a .276 average, a .332 on-base percentage, a .404 slugging percentage, 127 homers and 720 RBIs. Three times he led his league in outfield assists.
Earlier, Kotsay was a star two-way player in college, earning All-America honors at Cal State Fullerton in 1995 and 1996 and serving as the closer on the Titans’ 1995 College World Series championship team. That year, he won the Golden Spikes Award as the best country’s best player and was chosen the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series.
–Field Level Media