The A’s have a new bench coach in Mark Kotsay, and “new’’ is the key word.
He’s never been a bench coach, and Kotsay and manager Bob Melvin have never worked together.
If that wasn’t newness enough, Kotsay is the third bench coach for the A’s in three years, and the first of those who has never been a bench coach before, so the learning curve will be steep.
Although they’ve known each other casually, Kotsay and Melvin have never been on the same team. But after the two met a week ago Tuesday for a Jack London Square lunch, it was clear to both that this was worth exploring.