A’s hire new bench coach Aldrete, replaces Hale

Mike Aldrete receives a high five from Carlos Beltran May 13, 2012. Jeff Curry/AP

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Athletics have hired former Oakland and San Francisco first baseman and outfielder Mike Aldrete as bench coach on manager Bob Melvin’s staff.

Aldrete fills a vacancy left when Chip Hale became Arizona’s manager earlier this month.

Aldrete joins Melvin’s staff for the third time in his 13-year coaching career after spending the past three seasons as bench coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Aldrete worked under Melvin as Mariners first base coach in 2004 and as Arizona’s hitting coach from 2005-06.

The 53-year-old Aldrete is a Northern California native from Carmel. He attended Monterey High and Stanford.

He was a career .263 hitter with 41 home runs and 271 RBIs in 10 major league seasons with the Giants (1986-88), A’s (1993-95), Montreal (1989-90), San Diego (1991), Cleveland (1991), the Angels (1995-96) and Yankees (1996).

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