Phil Nevin
Phillip Joseph Nevin is an American professional baseball coach, and former infielder. He was also the manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball from 2022–23. He played in MLB for 12 seasons, appearing in 1,217 games played between 1995 and 2006 for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins. He has previously served as a coach in MLB for the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees.
Nevin attended California State University, Fullerton, where he played college baseball and college football, as a kicker, for the Cal State Fullerton Titans team. Nevin led the Titans to the championship game in the 1992 College World Series, after which he was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player and won the Golden Spikes Award. Chosen with the first-overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft, Nevin went on to play in MLB for seven teams across 12 seasons. He was selected to appear in the 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
After retiring from baseball, Nevin went into broadcasting, and then managed the unaffiliated Orange County Flyers for a season. He managed the Class AA Erie SeaWolves and the Class AAA Toledo Mud Hens in the Tigers organization before joining the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2014, managing the Reno Aces. He then returned to MLB to coach the Giants in 2017 and for the Yankees from 2018 through 2021. He joined the Angels as a coach in 2022 and became interim manager after the firing of Joe Maddon. On October 5, 2022, the Angels signed him to a one-year contract as their permanent manager.
Early life
Nevin attended El Dorado High School in Placentia, California. After graduating, he was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft with the 82nd overall selection. He decided to attend California State University, Fullerton after turning down an offer that included a signing bonus of $100,000.College career
A two-sport star, Nevin played American football and baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans, competing in the Big West Conference of NCAA Division I. He was a punter and placekicker on the Cal State Fullerton Titans football team. He was named an All-American placekicker his freshman year for the Titans as he connected successfully on his first nine field goal attempts and finished the year with a 15-for-21 field goal percentage. His longest field goal of the season was. In his junior year, he averaged per punt.For the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team, Nevin batted.358 with 56 runs batted in as a freshman. The Titans won the conference championship and reached the 1990 College World Series that year. The Titans lost two games in the 1990 CWS, however, and were eliminated. Nevin batted.335 in his sophomore season. As a junior, he batted.391 with 20 home runs and 71 RBIs, winning the Big West Conference Triple Crown. Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America named Nevin the College Player of the Year. He credited his past CWS experience with allowing him to remain calm.
In three seasons at Cal State Fullerton, Nevin had a.364 average with 39 home runs and 184 RBIs. He led the Titans to the finals of the 1992 CWS, where the Titans lost to the Pepperdine Waves baseball team, which represented the West Coast Conference. Despite the loss, Nevin was voted the CWS Most Outstanding Player after he batted 10-for-19 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He also won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur player in the nation.
International career
In 1990, Nevin tried out for the United States national baseball team to play in that year's Goodwill Games and World University Baseball Championship. To prepare for those tournaments, the team played a series against Japan and a game in Cuba. Nevin played second and third base for Team USA in 13 of its 22 games, batting.229. The team released him before the Goodwill Games and WUBC as it cut players to meet the roster maximum. Nevin was also considered for the 1991 Pan American Games.Nevin tried out for the national team again before the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The team embarked on a 30-game tour and 38-city exhibition-game schedule in the United States before leaving for Spain. He made the team and served as its starting third baseman throughout the tournament. Olympic coach Ron Fraser called Nevin an excellent player and student of the game. The United States finished fourth out of eight teams in the Olympics.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The Houston Astros chose Nevin with the first overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. Hal Newhouser, a scout for the Astros, had evaluated Derek Jeter extensively prior to the draft. Convinced that Jeter would anchor a winning team, Newhouser lobbied team management to select Jeter, and quit in protest over the Astros' decision to take Nevin instead. The Astros believed that Jeter would insist on a signing bonus of at least $1 million to forgo his college scholarship for a professional contract. Signing bonuses given to the best player in the draft were increasing rapidly. Todd Van Poppel, regarded by many at the time as the best player of the 1990 MLB draft, signed for $1.2 million, while the 1991 MLB draft's first pick, Brien Taylor, signed for $1.55 million after insisting he would otherwise enroll in college. Meanwhile, the Astros were unable to sign their first-round draft pick in 1991, John Burke, who insisted on a bonus of $500,000 as the sixth overall selection. Consequently, the Astros passed on Jeter in the draft.Bill Wood, the Astros' general manager, said the team believed Nevin was close to a major-league level and would require little development in minor league baseball. As evidence for this, the Astros pointed to Nevin's training with the wooden bats used in professional baseball in an effort to prepare himself for the transition from metal bats. The Astros believed he would be a solid power hitter and have a strong work ethic. Nevin also did not intend to seek a signing bonus approaching those received by Van Poppel and Taylor. The Astros decided to employ Nevin as a third baseman. Not wanting to draw out his contract negotiations, Nevin signed with Houston in June, receiving a $700,000 bonus.
Nevin traveled with the Astros at the end of their 1992 season but was not on the team's roster. The Astros sent Nevin to the instructional Arizona Fall League during the off-season. Before the 1993 season, Baseball America ranked Nevin as the 30th-best prospect in baseball.
The Astros considered sending Nevin to the Jackson Generals of the Class AA Texas League to start his professional career. The team also considered promoting him directly to the major leagues, skipping the minor leagues entirely. At the Astros' spring training in 1993, Nevin batted.350 and showed good power hitting. The Astros weighed bringing Nevin to Houston for Opening Day as they sought to add a right-handed batter to complement the left-handed power of Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley and Eric Anthony and make the team less vulnerable to left-handed pitching. But with Ken Caminiti in the first year of a three-year contract to play as the starting third baseman, Nevin had nowhere to play defensively. The Astros assigned him to the Class AAA Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League, one level below the major leagues, where he made his professional debut.
While Nevin was with the Toros, the Astros asked Toros manager Rick Sweet to play Nevin as a left fielder, which would allow the Astros to promote Nevin sooner, as he and Caminiti could play different positions. Veteran first baseman Jim Lindeman served as Nevin's mentor, helping him keep his composure under significant attention and pressure to perform. Nevin started the 1993 season with a.247 batting average, but batted.309 with baserunners in scoring position and had 49 RBIs. By July, he had made ten starts in left field, without committing an error. The Astros, however, were concerned that Nevin did not apply the level of intensity he had in "clutch" situations to cases where there were no baserunners and the score was not close.
Nevin's intensity almost got the best of him during a June 1993 game with Tucson. He was taunted by a man seated in the front row, and nearly attempted to jump into the stands to confront the fan before he was restrained by teammates. The fan was arrested.
Nevin played third base and left field in 1993. He batted.286 that season, with 10 home runs and 91 RBIs. He had a.359 on-base percentage and.413 slugging percentage. Baseball America rated him the 24th best prospect before the 1994 season. He returned to Tucson that year, posting a.263 batting average with 12 home runs and 71 RBIs. He had a.343 OBP, and.393 SLG. Nevin also played first base. His major-league debut, however, was delayed both by his defense and the MLB 1994–95 work stoppage.
The Astros traded Caminiti to the San Diego Padres before the 1995 season. With Caminiti no longer blocking his path to the major leagues, Nevin hoped he would be named the Astros' starting third baseman. But the Astros did not invite him to spring training. Nevin attributed the snub to his refusal to work out with replacement players during the work stoppage. Not wanting to be seen as "scabs" by the Major League Baseball Players Association, minor league players who felt they would play in MLB after the resolution of the strike felt pressure to avoid playing with replacement players, while career minor-leaguers were happy to get a taste of the major leagues. When prospects including Nevin and Billy Wagner refused to play with the replacement players, Astros' general manager Bob Watson issued an ultimatum, saying anyone who refused to play in the team's first exhibition game would be sent out of camp until further notice and be held in breach of contract. The Astros sent Nevin back to Tucson to start the 1995 season, while Dave Magadan started at third base on Opening Day. The Astros also planned to use Shipley and Chris Donnels at third base.
With the Toros in 1995, Nevin's batting average improved to.291. He also posted a.367 OBP, and.463 SLG, while contributing seven home runs and 41 RBIs.