With the news that Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin will be receiving a three year contract extension, the Green and Gold will finally have some stability in their clubhouse for the next few seasons; but will that equate to actually winning more ballgames?
Considering the recent history of A's skippers, Melvin most certainly seems to be the best fit in Oakland right now. CSN's Ann Killion put it all in persepctive:
Melvin has endeared himself to his ballclub for doing the simplest of things: preparing, communicating, acting as a human, not being afraid of his own shadow...Melvin is his own man...He doesn't seem afraid of or intimidated by [Billy] Beane, but appreciative of his boss' knowledge.
Literally none of these things could be said about Bob Geren a few months ago, before Beane decided to bring in Melvin mid-season. But Melvin made lemonade from the lemons Geren left him, even though the surge in the A's offense was unfortunately coupled with a decline in pitching as the season went on. Nevertheless, Billy Beane decided the most rational thing was to keep Melvin on board, not let him slip away like Terry Francona and Ron Washington before him, and do what it takes to foster a team comfortable in the clubhouse and ready to win for a manager they respect.
Will Bob Melvin equate to more wins over the course of a full season? Only time will tell. But I don't think it would hurt the team's chances in the slightest.