| Mark Kotsay | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kotsay with theMilwaukee Brewers in 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| Athletics – No. 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder /Manager | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1975-12-02)December 2, 1975 (age 50) Whittier, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| July 11, 1997, for the Florida Marlins | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 29, 2013, for the San Diego Padres | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through September 29, 2025) | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .276 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 127 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 720 | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial record | 255–393 | ||||||||||||||
| Winning % | .394 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Mark Steven Kotsay (born December 2, 1975) is an American professionalbaseballmanager and formeroutfielder. He is the manager for theAthletics ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Kotsay appeared in 1,914 MLBgames for theSan Diego Padres,Florida Marlins, Athletics,Atlanta Braves,Boston Red Sox,Chicago White Sox, andMilwaukee Brewers. He coached for the Padres and Athletics before becoming the Athletics' manager for the 2022 season.
Born inWhittier, but raised inSanta Fe Springs, California,[1] Kotsay attended Santa Fe High School. Hebatted .408 with a 4–0win–loss record and 3.18earned run average in his senior season. He also played for the school'sAmerican football andbasketball teams.[2]
Kotsay enrolled atCalifornia State University, Fullerton to playcollege baseball for theCal State Fullerton Titans. Kotsay spent the summer of 1994 playing for theBourne Braves of theCape Cod Baseball League where he was named a league all-star.[3][4] In1995, Kotsay won theGolden Spikes Award and was theMost Outstanding Player of theCollege World Series (CWS), as Fullerton won its third Series championship. In addition to being an outfielder, Kotsay was acloser in college; he pitched the final five outs to clinch his team's CWS title. Kotsay was a consensus choice as anAll-American in 1995 and 1996.
TheFlorida Marlins selected Kotsay in the first round, with the ninth overall pick, of the1996 Major League Baseball draft.[5]
Kotsay appeared in 14 games for the Marlins in1997 before taking over as the team's center fielder in1998. He was moved toright field afterGary Sheffield was traded, a position better suited for the strong throwing arm which Kotsay regularly showed off. As a rookie, he led allNational League outfielders with 20assists, and led them again in his second year with the same number. In2000, he led all right fielders with 13 assists. At the plate, Kotsay was an average hitter during these years,hitting around .280 with occasional power and the occasionalstolen base.
Kotsay was traded in2001, barely a week before Opening Day, to the San Diego Padres as part of a deal forMatt Clement andEric Owens. Moved back to center field, Kotsay improved his hitting, but he recorded only four outfield assists. This can be largely attributed to the fact that few chose to run on Kotsay. Over the next two seasons, however, Kotsay was defensively back on form, leading all National League center fielders in that category. Kotsay hit .291 with a .807OPS in 2001 and .292 with a .810 OPS in2002. After his batting average slipped to .266 with a .726 OPS in2003, Kotsay was traded to theOakland Athletics forTerrence Long andRamón Hernández.
With Oakland in2004, Kotsay batted a career-best .314 hitting second in the A's lineup. Displaying his customary strong arm afield, he ledAmerican League center fielders with 11 assists.
On July 9,2005, the Athletics announced that Kotsay and the team had come to terms on a three-year, $29 million contract extension.[6] The extension kept Kotsay under contract with the Athletics through the2008 season and included a no-trade clause through the2006 season. News of the contract extension ended speculation that Kotsay would be traded to a team in need of a starting center fielder, such as theNew York Yankees.
OnMother's Day, May 14, 2006, Kotsay was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished apink bat to benefit theBreast Cancer Foundation. He was one of a handful of players to hit a pink bat home run.
The 2006 season marked Kotsay's first-ever appearance in apostseason game, as the Athletics clinched the 2006AL West Division title. On October 4, he hit his first postseasonhome run againstMinnesota Twins pitcherDennys Reyes for a two-runinside-the-park home run which scoredJason Kendall to put the A's ahead 4–2, leading his team to win Game 2 of theALDS.[7]
Kotsay underwent back surgery duringspring training2007, and missed the first two months of the 2007 campaign.[8]
On January 14, 2008, after passing a physical, Kotsay was officially traded to the Atlanta Braves along with $5.3 million of his $7.3 million salary from the Athletics forJoey Devine and prospect Jamie Richmond.[9][10]
On August 14, 2008, Kotsay became the first Atlanta Brave tohit for the cycle sinceAlbert Hall did it in1987. Hedoubled to right in the seventh inning againstBob Howry of theChicago Cubs. The double that completed the cycle was also Kotsay's 1,500th careerhit. He would hit anothersingle in the ninth inning to have his third career five-hit game and first since 2005. However, despite the great effort, the Braves lost to the Cubs 11–7.[11]
On August 27,2008, Kotsay was traded to theBoston Red Sox for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.[12]
Kotsay quickly became the Red Sox's preferredfirst baseman afterthird basemanMike Lowell was lost for the season due to injury andKevin Youkilis was moved to third. SupplantingSean Casey, he was the regular first baseman throughout the playoffs. He finished the Sox regular season batting .226/.286/.345 in 84 at-bats, and he batted .250/.250/.325 in the playoffs.
On January 9, 2009, Kotsay agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with incentives to return to the Red Sox.[13] He underwent back surgery to remove a displaced disc in February 2009 but did not miss significant time.[14]
On July 24, 2009, Kotsay wasdesignated for assignment by the Red Sox to free up a roster spot for newly acquiredAdam LaRoche.[15]
On July 28, 2009, Kotsay was traded toChicago White Sox for minor league outfielderBrian Anderson and cash considerations.[16] On November 5, 2009, he was re-signed by the White Sox for a one-year, $1.5 million deal.[17] In 2010, Kotsay appeared in 107 games, primarily as a designated hitter and first baseman, hitting .239/.306/.376.
On February 1, 2011, Kotsay agreed to sign a one-year contract with theMilwaukee Brewers. The contract was worth $800,000 plus $450,000 in incentives.[18]
Kotsay served as a utility player, mostly as a reserve outfield and pinch hitter.
In 2011, he batted .270 with three home runs in 233 at-bats.[19] Through 2011, he was fifth of all active major leaguers in career outfield assists, with 120.[20]
On November 15, 2011, Kotsay signed a one-year deal, worth $1.25 million, with theSan Diego Padres.[21]
Kotsay began the year on the disabled list with a calf strain.[22] He made his regular season debut on April 17, 2012. He had another stint on the disabled list in May with a lower back strain.[23] On August 12, 2012, Kotsay signed a one-year extension to stay with the Padres through 2013 for $1.3 million. Kotsay was hitting .275/.333/.363 with a home run and 9 RBI in 55 games before the deal.[24] Kotsay made 26 starts in the field and had 51 appearances as apinch hitter, batting .259/.314/.357 overall. His 13 pinch-hits tied him for second in the Major Leagues.[25]
In2013, Kotsay made 23 starts in the field at the corner outfield spots and first base but appeared in 104 games, mostly as a pinch hitter. He finished the season hitting .194/.253/.226 in 155 at-bats. On September 14, Kotsay announced he would retire after the2013 season.[26] Kotsay was honored in a special ceremony in his final home game atPetco Park on September 26.[27]
In 1,914 games over 17 seasons, Kotsay posted a .276batting average (1,784-for-6,464) with 790runs, 353doubles, 48triples, 127home runs, 720RBI, 98stolen bases, 554bases on balls, .332on-base percentage and .404slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .989fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions and first base. In 26 postseason games, he hit .207 (17-for-82) with nine runs, two home runs, 3 RBI and five walks.
Kotsay joined the Padres' front office in 2014 as a special assistant.[28] On December 1, 2014, the Padres announced Kotsay as their new hitting coach, replacingPhil Plantier.[29]
On November 12, 2015, theOakland Athletics named Kotsay their new bench coach, replacingMike Aldrete.[30] In 2017, he became the quality control coach for the Athletics.[31] On December 22, 2021, the Athletics promoted Kotsay to become theirmanager for the 2022 season.[32] In November 2023, the Athletics announced that Kotsay's option for the 2024 season had been picked up.[33] On February 17, 2025, Kotsay and the Athletics agreed to a three-year contract extension.[34][35]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| OAK | 2022 | 162 | 60 | 102 | .370 | 5th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| OAK | 2023 | 162 | 50 | 112 | .309 | 5th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| OAK | 2024 | 162 | 69 | 93 | .426 | 4th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| ATH | 2025 | 162 | 76 | 86 | .469 | 4th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 648 | 255 | 393 | .394 | 0 | 0 | – | – | ||
In 2019, Kotsay was inducted into theNational College Baseball Hall of Fame.[37]
Kotsay and his wife Jamie have three children.[38]
Kotsay is a devoutRoman Catholic. His father, Steve Kotsay, is a retired Los Angeles Police Motorcycle Officer.[39]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
· Baseball Almanac| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle August 14, 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | San Diego Padres hitting coach 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Oakland Athletics Bench Coach 2016–2017 | Succeeded by |
