| Bob Melvin |
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| Oakland Athletics – No. 6 |
| Catcher / Manager |
Born: (1961-10-28) October 28, 1961 (age 51)
Palo Alto, California |
| Batted: Right |
Threw: Right |
| MLB debut |
| May 25, 1985 for the Detroit Tigers |
| Last MLB appearance |
| August 6, 1994 for the Chicago White Sox |
Career statistics
(through May 22, 2013) |
| Batting average |
.233 |
| Home runs |
35 |
| Runs batted in |
212 |
| Games managed |
1,310 |
| Win–loss record |
659–651 |
| Winning % |
.503 |
| Teams |
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As Player
As Manager
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| Career highlights and awards |
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Robert Paul Melvin (born October 28, 1961) is the manager of the Oakland Athletics, and a former Major League Baseball catcher.
During a 10-year playing career, he played from 1985–94 for seven different teams. In his eight-year managing career, he has managed the Seattle Mariners (2003–04), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005–09), and the Oakland Athletics (2011–present).
Baseball career [edit]
Player [edit]
Melvin played eleven seasons, mostly as a starting catcher, for the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He finished his career with a batting average of .233 and 35 home runs. As a Giant, he served as the backup for fellow catcher Bob Brenly, who, like him, went on to manage the Diamondbacks.
Manager [edit]
Seattle Mariners [edit]
He managed the Seattle Mariners in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, his Mariners won 93 games but missed the playoffs. The team decided not to extend his contract after the 2004 season, when the team lost 99 games. Melvin returned to the Diamondbacks, for whom he had previously been bench coach before being hired by the Mariners. He was actually the second manager the Diamondbacks hired for 2005 after they fired Wally Backman before he managed a single game due to revelations of past arrests and serious financial troubles.[1]
Arizona Diamondbacks [edit]
Melvin led Arizona to a National League West title in 2007, with a record of 90–72. The Diamondbacks entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the National League. They swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, but were then swept themselves in the NLCS by the red-hot Colorado Rockies. Even so, Melvin was named National League The Sporting News Manager of the Year and MLB Manager of the Year for 2007. His nickname "The Mad Scientist," given (and somewhat surprising) degree of success.
Firing and job interviews [edit]
Melvin was replaced as manager by A.J. Hinch, another former catcher, after the May 8, 2009 game.[2] Following the 2009 season, Melvin was a candidate to be the next manager of the Houston Astros,[3] however the position was filled by Brad Mills.[4] He was interviewed by the Milwaukee Brewers for their managerial opening in October 2010, and was believed to be a finalist along with Bobby Valentine, Joey Cora and Ron Roenicke.[5] The position eventually went to Angel bench coach Roenicke. He was then interviewed by the New York Mets for their managerial opening before the 2011 season, but the position was eventually awarded to former Astros and Angels manager Terry Collins.
Oakland Athletics [edit]
On June 9, 2011 he was named interim manager of the Oakland Athletics[6] and then, on September 21, promoted to manager of the A's Oakland Athletics and agreed to a three-year contract extension after guiding the team to a 47–52 record (74–88 overall).[7] Melvin went on the Chris Townsend Show in the Bay Area after the first game of the 2012 season in Tokyo and promised the fans that the A's will work hard every game. Recently, he led the A's to the franchise's best ever record in July at 19–5 and continue to be playoff contenders for the first time since 2006. On October 1, 2012 the A's clinched their first playoff appearance since 2006. On October 3, 2012, the A's clinched the Western Division of the American League, but went on to lose the 2012 ALDS (West Division) to the Detroit Tigers three games to two. Melvin was honored the 2012 American League Manager of the Year.
Personal life [edit]
Melvin is Jewish.[8][9] He resides in Manhattan, with his wife, Kelley. He has one daughter, Alexi (born December 21, 1988), who is an actress, writer and filmmaker. Melvin and his family are very active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Alexi having been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of fourteen.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "SI.com – MLB – D'backs backtrack on Backman, hire Melvin". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. November 6, 2004. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Bob Melvin to be replaced as Diamondbacks manager – Karie Dozer Blog". KTAR.com. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ McTaggart, Brian. Melvin, Acta interview with Astros. MLB.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ McTaggart, Brian. Mills named Astros manager. MLB.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ "Bobby Valentine the "front runner" for the Brewers’ job | HardballTalk". Hardballtalk.nbcsports.com. October 31, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ Saracevic, Al (June 9, 2011). "Oakland A’s fire Bob Geren, replaces him with Bob Melvin | Oakland Athletics : The Drumbeat | an SFGate.com blog". Sfgate.com. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ http://twitter.com/#!/Athletics/status/116572478142291968
- ^ Martin Abramowitz (March 30, 2007). "The boys of summer and seder: Baseball, Passover share openers". Jweekly. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ^ Mark Pattison, David Raglin. Detroit Tigers Lists and More: Runs, Hits, and Eras. Wayne State University Press. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
External links [edit]
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| Coaching staff |
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Melvin, Bob |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
American baseball player and coach |
| Date of birth |
October 28, 1961 |
| Place of birth |
Palo Alto, California |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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