OAKLAND -- Longtime Major Leaguer Matt Williams, who enjoyed a managerial stint with the Nationals from 2014-15, has signed on to join the A's staff as the third-base coach.
Williams' playing career spanned 17 seasons with the Giants, Indians and D-backs, concluding with a six-year stint in Arizona through 2003. A's manager Bob Melvin was a member of the D-backs' coaching staff for two of those seasons. They were also teammates in San Francisco from 1987-88.
Williams coached first and third base for the D-backs, most recently during the 2016 season following two years at the helm of the Nationals. He went 179-145 with the Nats, winning the National League Manager of the Year Award in 2014.
Williams, 51, spent 2017 affiliated with the club that selected him in the first round of the 1986 MLB Draft, working as a studio analyst for Giants pregame and postgame shows with NBC Sports Bay Area.
Now gearing to reenter field duty, Williams takes over the spot once reserved for Chip Hale, who left the A's earlier this month to join new Nationals manager Dave Martinez's staff as his bench coach.
The A's are still seeking a bullpen coach to fill out their coaching staff.