Ex-Marin Sports Legend Interviews For A’s Skipper Post

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin sports legend Will Venable has interviewed for the Oakland Athletics’ managerial post according to published reports.

The former San Rafael High prep basketball star and Major League Baseball player from Greenbrae is among at least six candidates the A’s have interviewed, MLB Trade Rumors reports.

A’s third base coach Mark Kotsay, bullpen coach Marcus Jensen, and hitting coach Darren Bush, Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quataro are the others.

Venable, now 39, was known mostly for basketball when he was at San Rafael High. He was three-time Marin County Athletic League MVP in basketball, winning the award his freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Both powerful and swift, Venable was first selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th round of the 2004 amateur draft but elected to stay at Princeton for his senior year. The Padres scooped him up in the seventh round a year later.

He went on to play basketball and baseball at Princeton, which he helped lead to the NCAA tournament in 2004.

The left-handed hitting slugger was a .249 career hitter with 81 home runs and 307 RBIs during his nine-year career in the majors that included stints with three teams.

He spent parts of eight seasons in San Diego including a career year in 2013 in which he batted .268 with 22 home runs and had 22 stolen bases.

Venable earned $13,909,500 million in salary during his playing career.