A's Fan Favorite Lands New Role With Chicago White Sox

After seven years with the A's, Chad Pinder is on his new career path

May 18, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Chad Pinder (10) returns to the dugout after the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have made an interesting hire, bringing in A's fan favorite Chad Pinder as their newest manager for their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. Last season he was the manager of the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, another affiliate of the White Sox, and led the club to a 64-68 record. He will be taking over for his predecessor, Sergio Santos.

Pinder was selected by the A's in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft (71st overall) out of Virginia Tech. He'd climb through the minors with Matt Chapman, Ryon Healy, Matt Olson, Joey Wendle and Sean Manaea, ultimately making his big-league debut in 2016 when he got into 22 games.

He'd spend the next seven years with the Athletics, hitting mammoth home runs and showcasing his defensive abilities all over the diamond. He was a solid utility glove with a league average bat (and some pop), making him an underrated piece of those A's teams that made it to the postseason from 2018-2020.

His lone postseason experience with the club would come in 2020 when the A's finally escaped the AL Wild Card game. In the deciding third game of the 2020 WIld Card Series against the White Sox, Pinder came in off the bench for Jake Lamb at third base in the third inning. He would single in his first AB, loading the bases, and then would be intentionally walked to load the bases in the fourth.

His big blow came in the fifth inning, where he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two away, and singled to left to score a pair, giving the A's a 6-4 lead, and they would win by that score. It was Pinder that came up with the big hit in that game that broke the team's streak of postseasons without advancing past the first round.

His other big performance with the A's came in their lone win in the next round of that same postseason against the Houston Astros. The A's were down 2-0 in the series and were looking to make it to a game four. While neither team was truly at home at Dodger Stadium, the A's were the visitors for this particular game.

With Houston leading 7-4 in the top of the seventh, Marcus Semien and Tommy La Stella singled to begin the frame, and Chad Pinder brought them all home with a three-run shot to tie the game at seven all. In the eighth, Sean Murphy and Pinder would add sacrifice flies to give the A's a little cushion down the stretch, and they would end up forcing that fourth game.

Unfortunately for the A's, their bullpen had no answers for Houston's bats in the fourth game, and they were eliminated from the postseason. They haven't been back since.

Pinder became a free agent following the 2022 campaign, and floated through the minors with the Cincinnati Reds to the Washington Nationals and finally the Atlanta Braves, when he decided to call it a career in May of 2023.