McGwire, now 62, played the first 12 years of his career with the A’s. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1987 and made nine of his twelve All-Star appearances with the club. He twice led the majors in home runs while wearing an A uniform and was instrumental in the teams that won three consecutive pennants and one World Series between 1988 and 1990. He remains the franchise’s home run leader with 363, while his 941 runs batted in ranks fourth in club history.
Those on-field achievements and his overall legacy are complicated by his use of performance-enhancing drugs. He admitted in 2010 that he had used steroids for most of his career, including during his record-setting runs as a member of the Cardinals in the late 1990s. The PED ties kept him out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, despite a statistical resume that would have made him a first-ballot candidate had he accomplished it without using steroids.
That said, McGwire clearly has an extensive knowledge of hitting that he can bring to his new role. He spent nine years on the MLB staff between 2010 and 2018. McGwire was the hitting coach for the Cardinals when they won the 2011 World Series. He also worked as the Dodgers’ hitting coach and as a bench coach in San Diego during the 2018 season. He stepped down during the 2018-19 offseason to spend more time with his family. A special assistant role allows him to be involved in the A organization without the need for a full-time coaching position.
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