Au revoir, Chad Pinder, the last survivor of a winning era

Chad Pinder must have known. He must have felt like the last of the Mohicans. 

Sitting in the dugout by himself, Pinder savored a cigar following the A’s season finale last October. Oakland’s final record settled at 60-102. Cigars are usually reserved for postgame playoff celebrations in champagne-soaked clubhouses and not 100-loss seasons, but you can understand where Pinder was coming from. 

He spent the past few years pouring himself into an organization in an often thankless utility role while coming through the ranks with some of his best friends – only to see them get shipped away one-by-one.

Time moves fast in Oakland. Pinder must have known it was his final time in the home dugout. So he chiefed that cigar on a perfect fall afternoon in The Town, by his lonesome. No one else could probably understand what he was feeling at that point, because they were all traded away. The dismantling of 2021/22 essentially made Pinder the lone remaining vestige of a bygone era – a winning one.

Oakland Athletics’ Chad Pinder smokes a cigar in the dugout after the A’s 3-2 win in their final game of season. @sfchronicle photo by @ScottStrazzante pic.twitter.com/vWp7uldqkN

— Scott Strazzante (@ScottStrazzante) October 5, 2022

As far back as 2014, you started to hear serious rumblings about these Pinder, Olson and Chapman fellas making their way up the A’s minor league ranks. They’d be saviors, we were told, of a franchise that fell off following the magical Bernie Lean Era years of 2012-14.

Starting in 2018, we saw why. Matt Olson and Matt Chapman were the real deal. Marcus Semien had evolved into one of the game’s elite two-way players. The pitching staff started to figure itself out and built around Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas over the next few seasons. Liam Hendriks was a dog at the back end of the bullpen. Pinder might not have been producing at a high level, but Chi remained a key figure in the clubhouse.

Perhaps their best shot to win came in 2020, during the weird COVID-shortened season. They won that three-game series against the White Sox, but you just gotta wonder how good they could have been in a 162-game season. John Fisher actually OK’d an aggressive strategy in 2021 at the deadline but the end of that season without the playoffs marked the beginning of the end. 

First BoMel. Then Olson. Then Chapman. Then Bassitt. Then Manaea. Then Frankie. Then Sean Murphy. And no contract offer for Pinder this offseason. 

When the A’s signed veteran utility men Aledmys Diaz (two years, $14.5 million) and Jace Peterson (two years, $9.5 million) this offseason, the writing was on the wall. Pinder ultimately signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds, where he’ll be competing for a roster spot in spring training.

Though he never was able to put together much sustained success at the plate, Pinder’s pop was undeniable. Of his top moments in an A’s uniform, his 475-foot bomb at the Coliseum or the three-run jack he hit against the Astros in the 2020 ALDS come to my mind. But it’s more that he just played hard, played the right way and never complained despite riding the bench often throughout his prime. Ultimately, his versatility never enabled him to settle down in one spot on the field. His power numbers also regressed severely in 2022, as his hard hit percentage, barrel rate and exit velocity all dropped noticeably, according to Baseball Savant.

With his departure, it’s like that’s the last clean break from The Matts Era. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com recently asked Paul Blackburn what it’s like to be the longest-tenured guy in Oakland these days, as he’s about to enter his seventh season with the club.

“It’s scary,” Blackburn joked with Gallegos.

How will history remember that era of A’s baseball? For me, I feel like there have been seven different “cycles” – as the front office likes to call them – since the start of this century. While nothing will match the excitement of The Big 3 Era from 2000-04, I rank The Matts Era just behind The Bernie Lean Era. As for now, I believe the A’s are in the midst of their third Dark Ages of the millennium.

The Big 3 Era (2000-04)

Probably the peak of A’s fandom for anyone who was too young to remember the 1989 World Series team and that era. There was no more confident feeling you had when Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito were lined up to pitch in a three-game series. Back-to-back MVPs with Jason Giambi (2001) and Miguel Tejada (2002) and Eric Chavez in his prime. Quality role players throughout the lineup and bullpen. Sheesh. Unfortunately, this group will always be remembered by its 0-9 record in win-and-advance games.

Middle Ages (2005-06)

Once Billy Beane traded Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in December 2004, the good vibes were squashed. For some reason, I’ll always remember the 2006 trip to the ALCS as an aberration, as I just felt in a weird way they didn’t deserve to make it that far after the ALDS heartbreak of the previous era with better teams.

Dark Ages I (2007-11)

Ah, the Bob Geren years. Perhaps the most forgettable of all the franchise’s eras since 2000. That’s what happens when Billy Beane hires the best man of his wedding and can’t fire him soon enough.

The Bernie Lean Era (2012-14)

What made this era so special is that it came completely outta nowhere. Game 162 in 2012 probably remains the favorite game I have ever experienced at the Oakland Coliseum. It’s impossible to explain the euphoria that filled the stadium after Josh Hamilton dropped that fly ball and when Grant Balfour entered to the most epic Balfour Rage of all time. It felt like the A’s rode that momentum all the way until 2014, until that fateful night in Kansas City.

Dark Ages II (2015-17)

Shortly before the 2015 trade deadline, the A’s pulled the plug on being competitive by trading away Scott Kazmir. At this point, we were just all waiting for the Matts to finally break through.

The Matts Era (2018-21)

These teams were good. Maybe we could call it the “Ride The Wave Era” but I’ll always remember it as the time when the A’s had Matt Olson and Matt Chapman on the corners. Beyond all the talent, these guys really loved each other and still remain friends. A special group that deserved more time.

Dark Ages III (2022-??)

Mark Kotsay took on the unenviable task of succeeding Bob Melvin and taking on the latest rebuild. I don’t expect Oakland to contend this year, but the organization needs to identify the talent who will create their next core at their next stadium – wherever that may be. Is Shea Langeliers ready to be the face of the franchise? Can young southpaws Ken Waldichuk and Kyle Muller live up to the hype? Can outfielders JJ Bleday and Esteury Ruiz figure it out? Can top prospect Tyler Soderstrom earn a September call-up? This is a big season for the A’s to step forward and not backwards.