Oakland Athletics: Appreciating Bob Melvin’s genius

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin tends to get lost in any rankings of the top five managers in the game. That should not be the case.

When any list of the top managers in the game is created, the usual suspects sit atop the list. We have Terry Francona, who ended the Red Sox curse. There is Joe Maddon, who not only helped turn the Rays around, but also ended the Cubs World Series curse. Kevin Cash and Craig Counsell get high marks for winning in a small market. Aaron Boone made the postseason with a AAA team. There may be others who sneak into that list, but those five are typically considered amongst the best in the game.

But there is one manager who deserves more recognition than he has received in those lists. Oakland Athletics skipper Bob Melvin has consistently exceeded expectations, helping to turn the small market A’s into a contender.

Melvin has certainly received accolades in his career. He is a three time Manager of the Year, taking home the award in 2007 with the Diamondbacks, and in 2012 and 2018 with the A’s. Under his steady guidance, Oakland shocked the baseball world in 2018, roaring into the postseason after a slow start to the year.  With a strong lineup and potentially dominant rotation, 2020 could be a special year for Melvin and company.

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But therein lies the problem. Unlike the managers ranked above him, he has not had the same level of postseason success. In six trips to the postseason, he has only won one playoff series, sweeping the Cubs in the 2007 NLDS. Melvin also has not won a postseason game since 2013, as the A’s have lost each of the past three Wild Card matchups.

Melvin is also not the most innovative of managers. While other skippers have continued to look for any edge they can find, Melvin has continued to be the same person – a brilliant baseball lifer whose knowledge and feel for the game is amongst the best in the game. As the longest tenured manager in the majors, he certainly has the trust of the A’s innovative brain trust.

All that is missing for Melvin is postseason success. A deep playoff run could make a major difference in how he is viewed by the typical baseball fan. But that is perfectly fine – the A’s and their fans know what they have in Melvin, and certainly do not care if the rest of the baseball world does not see the same.

Bob Melvin has been a tremendous manager for the Oakland Athletics. A deep run in the playoffs may get him the national attention he deserves.