Former Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire returns to the franchise as special assistant to player development. McGwire spent 12 seasons with the Athletics from 1986 to 1997.
McGwire got off to a fast start with the Athletics. In his first season, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1987 after hitting 49 home runs, which was a record at the time. He also helped lead the A’s to three straight World Series appearances from 1988 to 1990 and won it all in 1989. That was the last year the Athletics won the World Series.
Big Mac finished with 363 home runs, 941 RBIs and 1,1157 hits during his time with the A’s. Later in his career, McGwire was traded to St. Louis in the 1997 season. In his time there, he broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record with 70 home runs.
Despite being inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame in 2019, McGwire has been kept out of the MLB Hall of Fame after being tied to a steroid scandal.
After McWire’s playing days ended, he had multiple stints on MLB teams’ staff. He served as a bench coach for San Diego (2017-18) and as a hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013-15) and Cardinals (2010-12).
McWire’s time with the Athletics in player development will look a lot different than his playing days. The A’s are about to play the second of at least three seasons at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California. This is the Athletics temporary home until their scheduled move to Vegas in 2028.
The Athletics went 76-86 and have promising young players such as Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler. The Athletics also acquired Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets in a trade this offseason.
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