How Bob Melvin set A's expectations with first spring training meeting

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred 'optimistic' about A's Howard Terminal siteMESA, Ariz. -- The A’s were supposed to get better in 2018, but how many experts were picking them to win 97 games?

Oakland ended up with more victories than any team in the NL, and all but four in the AL. That all sets an interesting bar.

How do the A's meet or exceed that mark in 2019?

“When I was talking to the club first day of spring training, it’s the relationship between success and confidence. What comes first?” A's manager Bob Melvin said from his office.

He continued.

“Do you need to have success to be confident? Or can you be confident and create the success? I think it was the latter for us last year. And now we…