The Athletics have announced a number of coaching assignments for the upcoming season. Darren Bush is the new bench coach, with Mike McCarthy named the bullpen coach, Marcus Jensen quality control coach, Mike Aldrete first base coach and Eric Martins third base coach. Meanwhile, pitching coach Scott Emerson, hitting coach Tommy Everidge and assistant hitting coach Chris Cron will stay on in the same roles.
Brad Ausmus was the club’s bench coach in 2022 but it was reported a few weeks ago that he wouldn’t return to the role. That left a vacancy that Bush will now step into. The 48-year-old played in the minors around the turn of the millenium and then transitioned into coaching after his playing days were done. He joined the A’s in the 2005 season, coaching in the minors, eventually moving up to the big league staff for the 2013 season.
After Bob Melvin departed the manager’s chair in Oakland one year ago for the same role in San Diego, Bush was one of the internal candidates to be considered as his replacement. The job eventually went to Mark Kotsay, with Bush moving from hitting coach to third base/run prevention coach.
Among the other names in today’s announcement, they were all already in the organization except for McCarthy, who had been the pitching coach for the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate this year.
Yeah Mike McCarthy! I met him at CSUB. He’s a cool dude.
With all the tear downs and rebuilds of the Beane era never has a manager, until Mark Kotsay, lost 100 games. He’s a bum. Kotsay was hired as Bob Melvin’s bench coach his first year in Oakland in 2016 and after that Bob Melvin was like nah and they demoted Kotsay to quality control coach and then third base coach I think.
The A’s should fire Kotsay ASAP and hire Stephen Vogt as manager before another team does. I bet you Vogt is a hot commodity as manger around the league as soon as next offseason.
I’m really surprised Vogt was not given the bench coach position. His time will come eventually.
I agree with everything @josephf said, but also maybe the A’s can still do this move at this point 12 months from now.
Kotsay was just miserable as an in-game manager, just as bad as Melvin is. At least he had no clubhouse cancers to deal with in the worst way possible, like Melvin did.
You think Melvin was a bad manager??
Also, who were these “clubhouse cancers” Melvin had?
Josh Donaldson, Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler, amongst others (although not many recently – Forst/Beane started targeting players who were known good clubhouse guys, like Vogt and Lowrie last year).
Melvin went 7-13 in the playoffs in 6 tries with the A’s (16-23 overall in his career). His style simply doesn’t work in the playoffs. Padres will have to fire him too, once he blows it again (he likely will if it comes down to managing and the Padres dont blow everyone out).
Yeah, I guess you can refer to those guys as cancers. Certainly Lawrie.
I feel your perspective of Melvin is a bit unfair. Granted, he doesn’t have the best playoff record.
He is the worst in-game manager I have ever seen. That 2014 Wild Card game made me dislike him forever, and his playoff record showed just how mid he truly is. He’s auto pilot on the lineup, using a lineup that stinks for too long, calls for stupid bunting for no reason, rides the same relievers too long, has no consistency about pitch counts.
Melvin’s “strength” was always being an easy guy to play for, and he was great with personal 1-on-1 coaching/advising, but everything about his on-field managing was so bad all the time and he never deserved any of his MGR of the year awards even in the slightest.
Yeah, Bob Melvin, with a .528 W-L% managing for the cheapest owner in baseball, was a terrible manager.
Incredible.
You would seriously say Melvin is the worst you’ve seen? Did you forget about the guy he replaced, Bob Geren?? Hahahaha
it wasn’t Melvin’s fault Soto broke his hand early in the game allowing the Royals to run rampant on whoever was behind the plate. also not Melvins fault Sean Doolittle, who was a premier reliever at the time, blew a 9th inning save. this A’s UK guy should stick to cricket or rugby or whatever the hell sport you play over there cuz they clearly don’t know a thing about baseball lol
Geren never had anything to manage!
I like the hire as it is good to keep continuity within an organization and Bush has been around a long time working his way up to this current position. I thought it odd they went outside to bring in Ausmus last year.
I’m just here to tell John Fisher to go play on the freeway and eff off forever
When are they going announce The A’s official plumber in case a sewage pipe breaks in the dugout? I recommend Miracle Plumbers. There motto is “ If we fix it It’s a Miracle”
this is a joke right?
the Tank Commanders are in place. let’s go lose 110 this year!