A's announce Major League coaching staff; add two athletic trainers
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s named Mike McCarthy as bullpen coach on Mark Kotsay’s coaching staff for the 2023 season, the club announced today. Marcus Jensen moves to quality control coach, Mike Aldrete takes over as first base coach, Eric Martins moves over to third base and Darren Bush is the new bench coach. Scott Emerson returns as pitching coach, Tommy Everidge remains hitting coach and Chris Cron stays as the assistant hitting coach. The A’s also announced that Brad LaRosa and Elliot Diehl will join the club as assistant athletic trainers.
McCarthy comes to the A’s from the San Diego Padres organization where he was the pitching coach for Triple-A El Paso. He began his coaching career as the bullpen coach at Triple-A Rochester in the Minnesota Twins organization in 2018 and served two seasons in the capacity before being named pitching coach for Rochester prior to the canceled 2020 minor league season. McCarthy remained as pitching coach when the Twins Triple-A affiliate moved to St. Paul in 2021. Originally selected by Boston in the 14th round of the 2011 draft, McCarthy compiled a 28-27 record, eight saves and a 4.57 ERA in 150 games, including 61 starts, in six professional seasons, all in the Red Sox farm system.
LaRosa returns to the A’s organization where he served 12 seasons as the athletic trainer for the A’s Triple-A affiliate from 2008-19. He spent the 2022 season with Triple-A El Paso in the San Diego organization after two seasons as an assistant athletic trainer with the Miami Marlins from 2020-21. La Rosa began his career in 2003 and worked two seasons in the Marlins farm system and three in the Cardinals farm system from 2005-07 before joining the A’s organization. He was the PBATS minor league athletic trainer of the year in 2007, earned Pacific Coast League Athletic Trainer of the Year honors in 2012, 16 and 19 and Texas League Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2006 and 07.
Diehl comes to the A’s from the Philadelphia Phillies organization where he served as the athletic trainer at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2022. He began his professional career as a minor league athletic trainer/rehabilitation intern with the Phillies in 2014 before spending seven seasons in the Houston organization as an athletic trainer for Rookie Greenville (2015-16) and Double-A Quad Cities (2017-18), and assistant minor league medical coordinator (2019-21). Diehl was born in San Jose and was the head athletic trainer for Cupertino High School following his internship with the Phillies.