Brad Fischer

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Bradley James Fischer (born June 28, 1956 in Blissfield, Michigan) is a major league coach for the Oakland Athletics. Joined the A's in 1995 as the bullpen coach, then moved to first-base coach in 1997, shifted back to the bullpen in 1998, shifted back to first base in 2003 and finally back to the bullpen in 2006. At the conclusion of the 2007 season, the A's announced that he would not return, thus ending a 29-year relationship that began in the A's minor-league system (see below).

1 Playing career
2 Managing/Coaching Career
3 References
4 Sources

[edit] Playing career

Fischer was not drafted; he signed with the Oakland Athletics as a free agent out of Western Michigan University in 1978. A catcher, he played just one season in the minors, hitting .267 in 160 at-bats for the A's rookie league club in Bend, Oregon.

[edit] Managing/Coaching Career

After spending 1979 out of baseball, the 23-year-old Fischer was hired to manage the A's Single-A team in Medford, Oregon in 1980. In 1981, he piloted Medford to a Northwest League championship and earned Manager of the Year honors.

After the season, he ran into Billy Martin at the Phoenix airport. Fischer recalls the encounter with the A's manager: "Billy saw me and said, 'Great year, kid. Where do you want to manage next year?' I said I had heard of an opening in Madison, Wisconsin. He said, 'The job's yours.' ... I was just glad he remembered it the next day." [1]

Fischer would take the Madison club to a league championship as well, and in 1984, added another playoff appearance.

From 1985 to 1987, Fischer managed the Double-A Huntsville Stars to three playoff appearances and a Southern League championship, with the likes of José Canseco and Mark McGwire on his roster (albeit briefly).

He was promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Tigers in 1988, where he would manage for three seasons. In his final season, 1990, he took the Tigers to the postseason.

Fischer's final managerial record: 743-670, seven total postseason appearances.

From 1991-1993, Fischer worked as an instructor in the A's minor-league system, after which he spent two years as assistant director of player development, working alongside Keith Lieppman (who is still working in the same capacity today).

He will coach the State College Spikes, a Pittsburgh Pirates' A affiliate, in 2008.