Mark Steven Kotsay (born December 2, 1975) is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder. He is the manager for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Kotsay appeared in 1,914 MLB games for the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers. He coached for the Padres and Athletics before becoming manager of Oakland before the 2022 season.
Mark Kotsay Net Worth is $28 Million
Mark Kotsay’s Salary: $2 Million
Net Worth: $28 Million
Salary: $2 Million
Date of Birth: Dec 2, 1975 (47 years old)
Place of Birth: Whittier
Gender: Male
Profession: Baseball player
Nationality: United States of America
Amateur career
Born in Whittier, but raised in Santa Fe Springs, California, Kotsay attended Santa Fe High School. He batted .408 with a 4–0 win–loss record and 3.18 earned run average in his senior season. He also played for the school’s American football and basketball teams.
Kotsay enrolled at California State University, Fullerton to play college baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Kotsay spent the summer of 1994 playing for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he was named a league all-star. In 1995, Kotsay won the Golden Spikes Award and was the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series (CWS), as Fullerton won its third Series championship. In addition to being an outfielder, Kotsay was a closer in college; he pitched the final five outs to clinch his team’s CWS title. Kotsay was a consensus choice as an All-American in 1995 and 1996.
Florida Marlins
The Florida Marlins selected Kotsay in the first round, with the ninth overall pick, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft.
Kotsay appeared in 14 games for the Marlins in 1997 before taking over as the team’s center fielder in 1998. He was moved to right field after Gary Sheffield was traded, a position better suited for the strong throwing arm which Kotsay regularly showed off. As a rookie, he led all National League outfielders with 20 assists, and led them again in his second year with the same number. In 2000, he led all right fielders with 13 assists. At the plate, Kotsay was an average hitter during these years, hitting around .280 with occasional power and the occasional stolen base.
San Diego Padres (first stint)
Kotsay was traded in 2001, barely a week before Opening Day, to the San Diego Padres as part of a deal for Matt Clement and Eric Owens. Moved back to center field, Kotsay improved his hitting, but he recorded only four outfield assists. This can be largely attributed to the fact that few chose to run on Kotsay. Over the next two seasons, however, Kotsay was defensively back on form, leading all National League center fielders in that category. Kotsay hit .291 with a .807 OPS in 2001 and .292 with a .810 OPS in 2002. After his batting average slipped to .266 with a .726 OPS in 2003, Kotsay was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Terrence Long and Ramón Hernández.
Oakland Athletics
With Oakland in 2004, Kotsay batted a career-best .314 hitting second in the A’s lineup. Displaying his customary strong arm afield, he led American League center fielders with 11 assists.
On July 9, 2005, the Athletics announced that Kotsay and the team had come to terms on a three-year, $29 million contract extension. The extension kept Kotsay under contract with the Athletics through the 2008 season and included a no-trade clause through the 2006 season. News of the contract extension ended speculation that Kotsay would be traded to a team in need of a starting center fielder, such as the New York Yankees.
On Mother’s Day, May 14, 2006, Kotsay was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. He was one of a handful of players to hit a pink bat home run.
The 2006 season marked Kotsay’s first-ever appearance in a postseason game, as the Athletics clinched the 2006 AL West Division title. On October 4, he hit his first postseason home run against Minnesota Twins pitcher Dennys Reyes for a two-run inside-the-park home run which scored Jason Kendall to put the A’s ahead 4–2, leading his team to win Game 2 of the ALDS.
Kotsay underwent back surgery during spring training 2007, and missed the first two months of the 2007 campaign.
Contracts & Career Earnings
Mark Kotsay signed a three-year contract extension with the Oakland Athletics in 2004 worth $29 million (the same as around $46.5 million today). His second stint with the San Diego Padres earned him $1.25 million in 2011, and a one-year extension to stay with the team through 2013 added $1.3 million more.Over his MLB playing career, Kotsay earned around $50.75 million in salary alone.
Coaching Salary
In December 2021 Mark signed a 3-year contract to become the head coach of the Oakland A’s. The deal is estimated to pay Kotsay $2 million per year, which is half as much as was being earned by his predecessor.
Personal Life
Mark Kotsay and his wife, Jamie, have three children together. He is a devout Roman Catholic, and his father is a retired Los Angeles Police Motorcycle Officer.
Real Estate
In April 2023, it was reported that Kotsay listed his Southern California mansion for $9.875 million. He lowered the asking price to $8.7 million in June 2023. He bought the home in January 2007 for $5 million. Take a tour of it in the video below:
