| Phil Nevin | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Nevin with theMinnesota Twins in 2006 | |
| Third baseman /First baseman /Manager | |
| Born: (1971-01-19)January 19, 1971 (age 54) Fullerton, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 11, 1995, for the Houston Astros | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2006, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Home runs | 208 |
| Runs batted in | 743 |
| Managerial record | 119–149 |
| Winning % | .444 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Phillip Joseph Nevin (born January 19, 1971) is an American professionalbaseballcoach, and formerinfielder. He was also themanager for theLos Angeles Angels ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 2022–23. He played in MLB for 12 seasons, appearing in 1,217games played between 1995 and 2006 for theHouston Astros,Detroit Tigers,Anaheim Angels,San Diego Padres,Texas Rangers,Chicago Cubs andMinnesota Twins. He has previously served as a coach in MLB for theSan Francisco Giants andNew York Yankees.
Nevin attendedCalifornia State University, Fullerton, where he playedcollege baseball and college football, as a kicker, for theCal State Fullerton Titans team. Nevin led the Titans to the championship game in the1992 College World Series (CWS), after which he was named theCWS Most Outstanding Player and won theGolden Spikes Award. Chosen with thefirst-overall pick in the1992 Major League Baseball draft, Nevin went on to play in MLB for seven teams across 12 seasons. He was selected to appear in the2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
After retiring from baseball, Nevin went into broadcasting, and then managed theunaffiliatedOrange County Flyers for a season. He managed theClass AAErie SeaWolves and theClass AAAToledo Mud Hens in the Tigers organization before joining theArizona Diamondbacks organization in 2014, managing theReno 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 ofJoe Maddon. On October 5, 2022, the Angels signed him to a one-year contract as their permanent manager.
Nevin attendedEl Dorado High School inPlacentia, California.[1] After graduating, he was selected by theLos Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the1989 Major League Baseball draft with the 82nd overall selection.[2] He decided to attendCalifornia State University, Fullerton after turning down an offer that included asigning bonus of $100,000.[3]
A two-sport star, Nevin playedAmerican football andbaseball for theCal State Fullerton Titans, competing in theBig West Conference ofNCAA Division I. He was apunter andplacekicker on theCal State Fullerton Titans football team.[4] He was named anAll-American placekicker his freshman year for the Titans as he connected successfully on his first ninefield goal attempts and finished the year with a 15-for-21field goal percentage. His longest field goal of the season was 54 yards (49 m).[5] In his junior year, he averaged 40.9 yards (37.4 m) per punt.[6]
For theCal State Fullerton Titans baseball team, Nevinbatted .358 with 56runs batted in (RBIs) as a freshman.[6] The Titans won the conference championship and reached the1990 College World Series (CWS) that year.[7][8] The Titans lost two games in the 1990 CWS, however, and were eliminated.[9] Nevin batted .335 in his sophomore season.[6] As a junior, he batted .391 with 20home runs and 71 RBIs, winning the Big West ConferenceTriple Crown.Collegiate Baseball andBaseball America named Nevin the College Player of the Year.[5][9] He credited his past CWS experience with allowing him to remain calm.[9]
In three seasons at Cal State Fullerton, Nevin had a .364 average with 39 home runs and 184 RBIs.[5] He led the Titans to the finals of the1992 CWS, where the Titans lost to thePepperdine Waves baseball team, which represented theWest Coast Conference.[6] Despite the loss, Nevin was voted theCWS Most Outstanding Player after he batted 10-for-19 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.[5] He also won theGolden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur player in the nation.[1][10]
In 1990, Nevin tried out for theUnited States national baseball team to play in that year'sGoodwill Games andWorld University Baseball Championship (WUBC). To prepare for those tournaments, the team played a series against Japan and a game in Cuba.[7] Nevin playedsecond andthird 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 the1991 Pan American Games.[8]
Nevin tried out for the national team again before the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona. 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.[5] OlympiccoachRon Fraser called Nevin an excellent player and student of the game.[5] The United States finished fourth out of eight teams in the Olympics.[11]
"I realize the[Houston] Astros aren't theOakland A's, theNew York Yankees or[Toronto] Blue Jays. I just think we'll settle on something fair. It won't be a record-setting deal. It will just be fair so I can get out and play some baseball".
TheHouston Astros chose Nevin with thefirst overall pick in the1992 Major League Baseball draft.[4]Hal Newhouser, ascout for the Astros, had evaluatedDerek 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.[13] 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 the1990 MLB draft, signed for $1.2 million, while the1991 MLB draft's first pick,Brien Taylor, signed for $1.55 million after insisting he would otherwise enroll in college.[12] 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.[12] Consequently, the Astros passed on Jeter in the draft.[13]
Bill Wood, the Astros'general manager, said the team believed Nevin was close to a major-league level and would require little development inminor league baseball.[12] As evidence for this, the Astros pointed to Nevin's training with thewooden bats used in professional baseball in an effort to prepare himself for the transition from metal bats.[6] 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.[12] The Astros decided to employ Nevin as athird baseman.[12] Not wanting to draw out his contract negotiations, Nevin signed with Houston in June, receiving a $700,000 bonus.[6][13]
Nevin traveled with the Astros at the end of their1992 season but was not on the team's roster. The Astros sent Nevin to the instructionalArizona Fall League during the off-season.[5][6] Before the 1993 season,Baseball America ranked Nevin as the 30th-best prospect in baseball.[14]
The Astros considered sending Nevin to theJackson Generals of theClass AATexas League to start his professional career.[5] 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 goodpower hitting.[1] The Astros weighed bringing Nevin to Houston forOpening Day as they sought to add a right-handed batter to complement the left-handed power ofLuis Gonzalez,Steve Finley andEric Anthony and make the team less vulnerable to left-handed pitching. But withKen Caminiti in the first year of a three-year contract to play as the starting third baseman, Nevin had nowhere to playdefensively. The Astros assigned him to theClass AAATucson Toros of thePacific Coast League, one level below the major leagues, where he made his professional debut.[1]
While Nevin was with the Toros, the Astros asked Toros managerRick Sweet to play Nevin as aleft fielder, which would allow the Astros to promote Nevin sooner, as he and Caminiti could play different positions.[1] Veteranfirst basemanJim Lindeman served as Nevin's mentor, helping him keep his composure under significant attention and pressure to perform.[1] Nevin started the 1993 season with a .247 batting average, but batted .309 withbaserunners inscoring position and had 49 RBIs. By July, he had made ten starts inleft field, without committing anerror.[1] 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.[1]
Nevin's intensity almost got the best of him during a June 1993 game with Tucson.[1] 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.[1]
Nevin played third base and left field in 1993.[1] He batted .286 that season, with 10 home runs and 91 RBIs. He had a .359on-base percentage (OBP) and .413slugging percentage (SLG).[15]Baseball America rated him the 24th best prospect before the 1994 season.[14] 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.[15] Nevin also playedfirst base.[15] His major-league debut, however, was delayed both by his defense (61 errors in his first two seasons) and theMLB 1994–95 work stoppage.[15]
"I wouldn't say that he was a disappointment. His attitude left something to be desired, but we don't question whether he has the ability to play in the big leagues. He does."
The Astros traded Caminiti to theSan 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.[14] But the Astros did not invite him to spring training. Nevin attributed the snub to his refusal to work out withreplacement players during the work stoppage.[16] Not wanting to be seen as "scabs" by theMajor 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 andBilly Wagner refused to play with the replacement players, Astros' general managerBob 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.[17][18] The Astros sent Nevin back to Tucson to start the 1995 season, whileDave Magadan started at third base onOpening Day. The Astros also planned to use Shipley andChris Donnels at third base.[19]
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.[15]
The Astros promoted him on June 10, 1995,[15] and he made his major-league debut a day later. Nevin played 18 games for the Astros during the1995 season.[20] He struggled with the Astros, however, batting .117 with no home run, one RBI, a .221 OBP, and .133 SLG in 60 at-bats.[16] When he learned of his demotion to Tucson on July 5 in Colorado, Nevin cursed at Watson and Astros managerTerry Collins.[15] After Watson called for an apology,[16] Nevin said he would use the incident as a learning experience in controlling his temper.[21]
The Astros acquired pitcherMike Henneman from theDetroit Tigers for aplayer to be named later on August 10; Nevin was identified as the player five days later. In 1996, Nevin played in Class AA for the Tigers with theJacksonville Suns of theSouthern League, where he was converted into acatcher by Jacksonville manager and former catcherBill Plummer.[20]
After the 1997 season, the Tigers traded Nevin and catcherMatt Walbeck to theAnaheim Angels, where Collins was manager, for minor league player Nick Skuse. After an injury to starting catcherTodd Greene, Collins gave Nevin the opportunity to compete for the starting job with Walbeck.[22] Nevin, by then well known for his volatile temper, tore off his jersey while arguing balls and strike calls with thehome plate umpire in a 1998 game.[23]
Before the 1999 season, the Angels traded Nevin and minor league player Keith Volkman to theSan Diego Padres. Nevin made a late-career break with the Padres, appearing in 100 games for the first time during the 1999 season. He then had the best offensive years of his career: he hit 31 home runs with a .916on-base plus slugging (OPS) during the 2000 season. He was named to theNational League All-Star team in2001, when he hit 41 home runs with 126 RBIs and had a .976 OPS. He also led major-league third basemen inerrors, however, with 27, and had the lowestfielding percentage of all major league third basemen (.930).[24]
In 2002 Nevin played first base, which was considered his strongest defensive position.[25] But injuries shortened his 2002 and 2003 seasons. In 2002, he missed time with a strained left elbow. Three games after returning from the elbow injury, he broke his arm diving for a ground ball, causing him to miss another six weeks.[26] After being heckled by a fan during a September 2002 game, Nevin gave the fanthe finger, for which he apologized.[27]
Nevin suffered a dislocated shoulder in spring training in 2003 while making a diving catch.[28] He had surgery on his left shoulder and returned to the Padres in June.[29] The Padres acquiredRondell White to replace Nevin, and White went on to have an All-Star season in left field.Ryan Klesko filled in at first base and rookieSean Burroughs played well at third base, Nevin's favorite position. Nevin offered to be used in autility role, alternating with White, Klesko, and Burroughs, as well asXavier Nady in right field.[25] In 2004, Nevin had more than 100 RBIs for the third time in his career, but underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee in July.[30]
Nevin was often frustrated with the dimensions ofPetco Park. He hit adouble during a 2004 game that he believed would have been a home run in other stadiums; when he reachedsecond base, he pointed toward Padres' general managerKevin Towers' suite and threw down his helmet, resulting in a postgame argument.[31] At the time, Petco Park had dimensions of 403 feet for left-center and 411 for right center (each would be shifted by at least ten feet eight years later). Towers said the two had a "love-hate" relationship.[23]
"I've had a heckuva lot of ups and downs, and this obviously isn't one of the up times."
Two nights afterSan Diego Padres management informed Nevin thatXavier Nady would replace him as the starting first baseman, Nevin rejected a trade to theBaltimore Orioles forSidney Ponson on July 25, 2005.[32] Nevin exercised aclause in his contract that gave him the right to block transactions that would send him to any of eight franchises, one of which was the Orioles.[33]
He was instead traded on July 30, a day before thenon-waiver trade deadline, to theTexas Rangers forChan Ho Park, whose salary the Rangers wanted to dump.[32][34] In his first thirteen games with the Rangers, the team posted a 1–12 record as Nevin batted 5-for-44. That put his season batting average under .200, known as the "Mendoza Line". The Rangers benched Nevin in September, giving his starts to prospect first basemanAdrián González after the team was eliminated from playoff contention.[32] In his first game back in the lineup on September 24, his average dropped to .182. He refuted opinions that he was losing bat speed.[32]
Nevin had one year remaining on a contract worth $9 million.ManagerBuck Showalter said that despite Nevin's benching at the end of the 2005 season, he was his startingdesignated hitter for the2006 season.[32] Despite hopes that help from renownedhitting coachRudy Jaramillo and the hitter-friendlyAmeriquest Field would increase Nevin's offensive production in 2006, he continued to struggle.[32] He batted .216 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs in 46 games. The Rangers promoted rookieJason Botts on May 23, and Botts began to receive Nevin's playing time.[35]
Nevin had only two hits in his last 32 at-bats with the Rangers, though both of them were home runs.[35]
TheChicago Cubs sought a slugging first baseman to replace the injuredDerrek Lee, and the Rangers traded Nevin to Chicago on May 31, 2006. The Rangers received second baseman and outfielderJerry Hairston Jr. in return. The Rangers also agreed to pay the difference in the two players' salaries.[35]
On August 31, the deadline for trades of players who had cleared waivers, the Cubs traded Nevin to theMinnesota Twins for cash and a player to be named later. To make room for Nevin, Twins' outfielderShannon Stewart was placed on the 60-daydisabled list.[36]
With the Twins, Nevin stopped worrying about his statistics and enjoyed playing in a pennant race.[37] Nevin appeared in theMLB postseason for the first time in his career with the Twins in 2006.[20][37] The Twins were swept by theOakland Athletics in three games; Nevin appeared in one of the three games, batting 0-for-3.[38][39]
Unsigned at the beginning of the 2007 season, Nevin announced his retirement on May 12, 2007.[40] During his twelve-season career, Nevin had a .270 batting average with 208 home runs and 743 RBIs in 1,217 games.[20] After retiring, Nevin joined the Padres' pre-game radio show.[40] He also joinedESPN as an analyst for the college baseballregionals during theCollege World Series.[40]
Two seasons removed from his playing career, Nevin decided to return to baseball as a manager in 2008.[23] That December, he was named the manager of theOrange County Flyers in the independentGolden Baseball League (GBL). The Flyers finished with a 37–39 record in 2009, fourth in the five-team GBL.[41] Nevin planned to return to the Flyers in 2010, but a chance meeting at baseball'swinter meetings led to Nevin's hiring as manager of theErie SeaWolves, the Class-AA minor-league affiliate of theDetroit Tigers.[23] He replaced the previous manager,Tom Brookens after Brookens was promoted to the Tigers' major-league first-base coach.[41]
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Nevin managed the SeaWolves for one season. On November 11, 2010, Nevin was named manager of theToledo Mud Hens, the Tigers' Class AAA minor league affiliate, and began to be considered as a potential future MLB manager.[23] CatcherOmir Santos described his managing the Mud Hens as "like having a big league manager in [Class AAA]."[23] Nevin had his first taste of coaching in the big leagues when he was added toJim Leyland's staff as an extra coach for the Tigers 2011 playoff run.[42] On August 31, 2013, Nevin was fired after the team's final home game of the season. Nevin's record as manager was 192–238; the team never finished higher than third in the International League's West division.[43]
TheArizona Diamondbacks named Nevin as manager of theReno Aces, their Class AAA affiliate, for the 2014 season.[44] In his first season with Reno, he guided the Aces to a Pacific Coast League-best 81–63 record and an eventual Pacific Coast League Championship Series berth. After the season, the Astros interviewed Nevin for their open managerial position.[45] However Nevin remained the manager of the Reno Aces for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.[46]
On November 7, 2016, theSan Francisco Giants named Nevin their third-base coach for the 2017 season, succeedingRoberto Kelly.[46] After the 2017 season, theNew York Yankees hired Nevin to be their third base coach.[47] The Yankees did not renew his contract for the 2022 season.[48]
On November 29, 2021, Nevin was hired by theLos Angeles Angels to serve as the team's third base coach for the 2022 season.[49] On June 7, 2022, following the firing ofJoe Maddon, Nevin was named the Angels' interim manager.[50][51] On the same day, Nevin managed his first game, but lost to theBoston Red Sox 6–5. On June 9, 2022, the Angels defeated the Red Sox 5–2, giving Nevin his first major league win as a manager as well as snapping the team's 14-game losing streak.[52] On June 27, 2022, Nevin was suspended 10 games for the intentional throwing atSeattle Mariners outfielderJesse Winker by Angels pitcherAndrew Wantz while warnings were in place during a game against the Mariners the previous day.[53]
On October 5, 2022, the Angels retained Nevin as the team's manager for the 2023 season.[54][55] In 2023, in a game between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees, Phil Nevin was ejected from the game twice during the ninth inning with the score locked at 2–2. The Yankees would go on to win the game 3–2 in the 10th innings.[56] After finishing the 2023 season with a 73–89 (.451) record, the Angels announced that Nevin would not return to the organization for the 2024 season.[57]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| LAA | 2022 | 106 | 46 | 60 | .434 | 3rd in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| LAA | 2023 | 162 | 73 | 89 | .451 | 4th in AL West | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 268 | 119 | 149 | .444 | – | |||||
Nevin was diagnosed withasthma at two years old. Nevin was hospitalized and treated for asthma five times between 1987 and May 1990, each stay lasting about five days. Nevin is alsoallergic to grass. At 19 years old, he told theLos Angeles Times that he had half thelung capacity of a typical 17-year-old.[58]
Nevin's first daughter, Koral, was born during his freshman year at Cal State Fullerton; he is no longer in a relationship with Koral's mother.[5] He met his wife, Kristin, at Cal State Fullerton. The couple have two children together; though they were separated during the late 1990s, the couple reconciled.[59][60] His son,Tyler, made his MLB debut with theBaltimore Orioles in 2021.[61] Another son, Kyle, played college baseball forBaylor University[62] and was drafted by theLos Angeles Dodgers in2022 MLB Draft.[63]
Nevin lives in the Heritage Estates neighborhood ofPoway, California, along with San Diego sporting figures includingBruce Bochy andLaDainian Tomlinson. The neighborhood suffered significant damage in theOctober 2007 California wildfires.[64] Nevin hosted a baseball camp for children aged six through 16 in 2010.[65]
On May 11, 2021, the Yankees announced that Nevin had tested positive forCOVID-19. He also developed astaph infection, and lost 20 pounds (9.1 kg).[66]
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | San Francisco Giantsthird base coach 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankees third base coach 2018–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Los Angeles Angelsthird base coach 2022 | Succeeded by |
