According to the Associated Press, the Oakland Athletics have agreed with manager Bob Melvin to a three-year contract extension. There is, however, no official announcement yet from the Athletics’ organization.
The report notes, however, that Melvin, who replaced Bob Geren midway through this season, should be receiving his official deal in the next few days.
Melvin, 49, has been the A’s skipper since Geren’s June firing, and has led the team to mixed-results. The A’s fired Geren, a very close friend of A’s GM/VP Billy Beane, in June after the team started the season poorly.
The A’s entered the season somewhat as the favorites to win the American League West division, but a combination of injuries and poor offensive showings doomed the A’s right from the start.
Geren’s firing was a result of his lack in communication with players, and his firing has ultimately opened the door for Melvin, a bay area native. Despite the fact that the A’s are only 42-48 under Melvin (entering Tuesday’s contest against Texas), players seem to like the guy, and like playing for him.
The A’s under Melvin have showed a little more fight than they did during Geren’s reign as A’s skipper.
Offensively, the A’s have picked up the slack in the second-half, and have put together a solid team line of .265/.336/.419. The A’s have also managed to score 300 runs since the All-Star break, which ranks as the seventh-highest total in baseball during that time frame.
Unlike Geren, however, Melvin has not gotten a lot from his pitching staff. The A’s absolutely killed opposing offenses during the first-half, posting a 3.13 ERA prior to the All-Star break.
Since the break, however, A’s pitchers have seemingly hit a wall. Since the break, A’s pitchers have posted a 4.72 ERA in 543.1 innings of work. Despite this, the A’s remain confident that Melvin can right the ship and put the team back on track for success.
The A’s have gone through a lot over the course of this season, and have battled their inconsistencies all season-long, so good news like the Melvin extension makes my day. Melvin owns a 535-556 managerial record that spans over eight season, and he’s the right guy to lead the A’s into the future.
Rejoice, A’s fans. You now know who will be leading your A’s for the next few years!