OAKLAND, Calif. – Mark Kotsay has been named manager of the Oakland A’s, the club announced today. He agreed to terms on a three-year contract through the 2024 season with a club option for 2025 and will become just the sixth person to manage the A’s over the last 36 years. He is the 19th manager in Oakland history and the 31st in Athletics history.

Kotsay has spent the last six seasons on the A’s coaching staff. He joined the club as bench coach in 2016 and filled that role until taking a leave of absence June 19, 2017. Kotsay served as the A’s quality control coach from 2018-20 and moved into the third base coaching box for the 2021 season.He made his professional coaching debut as the San Diego Padres hitting coach in 2015 and joins Jeff Newman, who was interim manager in 1986 between Jackie Moore and Tony La Russa, as the only managers in Oakland history with no previous managerial experience.

Kotsay played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1997-2013, including a four-year stint with Oakland from 2004-07. He was acquired from San Diego following the 2003 season for Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long and went on to hit .282 in 472 games with the A’s. Kotsay batted a career-high .313 in 2004 and tallied a career-high 82 RBI in 2005 while belting 15 home runs in each season. He was a member of the A’s American League West champions in 2006 and sparked Oakland to its first ALCS appearance in 14 years with an inside-the-park home run in Game 2 of the ALDS at Minnesota. Kotsay will join La Russa and Newman as the only people to both play for and manage the Oakland A’s.

A former outfielder, Kotsay batted .276 with 127 home runs and 720 RBI in 1914 games during his career, which also included stops in Florida (1997-2000), San Diego (2001-03, 12-13), Atlanta (2008), Boston (2008-09), Chicago-AL (2009-10) and Milwaukee (2011). He made his Major League debut with Florida in his second professional season in 1997 and appeared in a career-high 154 games in his rookie season of 1998. After batting .298 in 2000, he was traded to San Diego five days prior to Opening Day in 2001. He hit .292 with a career-high 17 home runs in 2002. Following his stay with Oakland, Kotsay returned to the LCS in 2008 with Boston and 2011 with Milwaukee. He concluded his playing career with San Diego in 2012 and 2013.

Kotsay retired following the 2013 season and spent 2014 in the Padres front office as a special assistant to the general manager and baseball operations. In that role, he was involved in all aspects of the club’s baseball operations.

A graduate of Sante Fe (Calif.) High School, Kotsay attended Cal State Fullerton where he led the Titans to the College World Series Championship in 1995. He was the winner of the Golden Spikes Award, was named Collegiate Player of the Year that year and hit .404 in his collegiate career. Kotsay was the Marlins first round pick and the ninth selection overall in the 1996 draft and also played for the United States in the 1996 Olympics.

Kotsay is married, Jamie, and has three children, Grace, Sienna, and Trey. He resides in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., during the offseason.