Bob Melvin: A Legend In The Making

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

First, he was with the Seattle Mariners. He was there in 2003 and led the Mariners to a 93-69 record in his first season as a manger. He had a great debut season as a manager. The next season didn’t work out as well. In 2004 the team lost 99 games. He didn’t get to return in 2005.

Then he got a new job. He went to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005. He spent a few years there and in 2007 he led the team to a 90-72 record, and the no. 1 seed in the postseason. They swept the cubs in the NLDS, but were swept in the NLCS by the Rockies. He won manager of the year for National League that year. He stayed with the team until 2009, when he was fired.

The next year was hard for him, because he didn’t have a team to manage. But in 2011, halfway through the season, he found his new home with our beloved Oakland Athletics. He finished the 2011 season and received a 3 year extension with the club. That was a smart move, because the A’s went on to win back to back AL West division titles in 2012 and 2013. He even won manager of the year again in 2012, for the American League. This man is our hero, he is often overlooked because he isn’t out there diving for the ball or hitting walk off homeruns. But we could not have won those division titles without him. This man is Bob Melvin.

Bob Melvin is a genius. He is the best manager in baseball. We not only say “In Beane we trust” anymore, but also “In Melvin we trust.” He took a team that was supposed to lose 100 games in 2012 and found a way to turn them into division winners. He knows how to bring out the best in a player, he knows their strengths and doesn’t try to change them like other teams do.

A good example of this is Brandon Moss. When he was with other teams, they tried to change his approach at the plate, they tried to make him something he wasn’t. That’s why he was a late bloomer. He broke out when he was under the guidance of Bob Melvin, who didn’t try to change him, but let him be himself and found out how to make the real Brandon Moss shine. Melvin does this with all his players.

This is why the A’s are so successful. Because they have the deadly combination of Billy Beane and Bob Melvin. If you’ve ever watched Moneyball, then you’ve seen how disastrous things can be when the manager doesn’t cooperate with Billy Beane. But Bob Melvin doesn’t only cooperate with Billy Beane, he enhances him. They go hand in hand. They go together like Oreo’s and milk. Billy Beane finds the talent, finds the players that the other teams have overlooked and misused, and Bob Melvin finds the perfect way to bring out their abilities in their own way. Beane finds the players. Melvin unlocks their potential. That’s the secret to the A’s success.

In both 2012 and 2013, the A’s weren’t predicted to win. They weren’t supposed to win. Not when the Rangers had a stacked lineup and the Angels had an all-star line-up that was supposed to get them to the world series. The A’s were good but according to pundits not good enough to win the west. Both years they were proven wrong. The reason being this dynamic duo. That’s why Melvin’s contract is now extended through 2016.

No matter who is on the team, the A’s will be contenders every year as long as we have both Melvin and Beane working better together than any other GM and manager duo out there. No matter the season, the teams they play, the players on the roster, the A’s will be contenders. This duo will continue to win AL West titles and will even win us a world series or to.

So from A’s fans everywhere, we love you Bob Melvin. We trust you. We will support you through thick and thin, and we will celebrate with you when we win the 2014 world series. We want you in Oakland for as long as you live. You are the long term answer and this is your home. You’re even a local. Bob Melvin, in you we trust. Go out there and bring that trophy to Oakland.

Melvin will get back to managing starting in the spring. Be there too by getting your Oakland A’s spring training tickets here.