Phil Nevin

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 54 yd. In his junior year, he averaged 40.9 yard per punt.

For the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team, Nevin batted .358 with 56 runs batted in (RBIs) as a freshman.

In three seasons at Cal State Fullerton, Nevin had a .364 average with 39 home runs and 184 RBIs.

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 (WUBC). 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.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

[Houston] Astros]] aren't the [Oakland Athletics

Oakland A's]], the [[New York Yankees]] or [[Toronto Blue Jays

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.

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.

The Astros considered sending Nevin to the Jackson Generals of the Class AA Texas League to start his professional career.

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 (OBP) and .413 slugging percentage (SLG). 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 (61 errors in his first two seasons) 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. 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.

Houston Astros (1995)

The Astros promoted him on June 10, 1995, He struggled with the Astros, however, batting .117 with no home run, one RBI, a .221 OBP, and .133 SLG in 60 at-bats. Nevin said he would use the incident as a learning experience in controlling his temper.

Detroit Tigers (1995–1997)

The Astros acquired pitcher Mike Henneman from the Detroit Tigers for a player 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 the Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League, where he was converted into a catcher by Jacksonville manager and former catcher Bill Plummer.

Anaheim Angels (1998)

After the 1997 season, the Tigers traded Nevin and catcher Matt Walbeck to the Anaheim Angels, where Collins was manager, for minor league player Nick Skuse. After an injury to starting catcher Todd Greene, Collins gave Nevin the opportunity to compete for the starting job with Walbeck. Nevin, by then well known for his volatile temper, tore off his jersey while arguing balls and strike calls with the home plate umpire in a 1998 game.

San Diego Padres (1999–2005)

Before the 1999 season, the Angels traded Nevin and minor league player Keith Volkman to the San 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 .916 on-base plus slugging (OPS) during the 2000 season. He was named to the National League All-Star team in , when he hit 41 home runs with 126 RBIs and had a .976 OPS. He also led major-league third basemen in errors, however, with 27, and had the lowest fielding percentage of all major league third basemen (.930).

In 2002 Nevin played first base, which was considered his strongest defensive position. After being heckled by a fan during a September 2002 game, Nevin gave the fan the finger, for which he apologized.

Nevin suffered a dislocated shoulder in spring training in 2003 while making a diving catch. He had surgery on his left shoulder and returned to the Padres in June. The Padres acquired Rondell 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 rookie Sean Burroughs played well at third base, Nevin's favorite position. Nevin offered to be used in a utility role, alternating with White, Klesko, and Burroughs, as well as Xavier Nady in right field. 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.

Nevin was often frustrated with the dimensions of Petco Park. He hit a double during a 2004 game that he believed would have been a home run in other stadiums; when he reached second base, he pointed toward Padres' general manager Kevin Towers' suite and threw down his helmet, resulting in a postgame argument. 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.

Two nights after San Diego Padres management informed Nevin that Xavier Nady would replace him as the starting first baseman, Nevin rejected a trade to the Baltimore Orioles for Sidney Ponson on July 25, 2005.

Texas Rangers (2005–2006)

He was instead traded on July 30, a day before the non-waiver trade deadline, to the Texas Rangers for Chan Ho Park, whose salary the Rangers wanted to dump. 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 baseman Adrián González after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. 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.

Nevin had one year remaining on a contract worth $9 million. Manager Buck Showalter said that despite Nevin's benching at the end of the 2005 season, he was his starting designated hitter for the 2006 season. Despite hopes that help from renowned hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and the hitter-friendly Ameriquest Field would increase Nevin's offensive production in 2006, he continued to struggle. He batted .216 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs in 46 games. The Rangers promoted rookie Jason Botts on May 23, and Botts began to receive Nevin's playing time.

Nevin had only two hits in his last 32 at-bats with the Rangers, though both of them were home runs.

Chicago Cubs (2006)

The Chicago Cubs sought a slugging first baseman to replace the injured Derrek Lee, and the Rangers traded Nevin to Chicago on May 31, 2006. The Rangers received second baseman and outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. in return. The Rangers also agreed to pay the difference in the two players' salaries.

Minnesota Twins (2006)

On August 31, the deadline for trades of players who had cleared waivers, the Cubs traded Nevin to the Minnesota Twins for cash and a player to be named later. To make room for Nevin, Twins' outfielder Shannon Stewart was placed on the 60-day disabled list.

With the Twins, Nevin stopped worrying about his statistics and enjoyed playing in a pennant race. The Twins were swept by the Oakland Athletics in three games; Nevin appeared in one of the three games, batting 0-for-3.

Unsigned at the beginning of the 2007 season, Nevin announced his retirement on May 12, 2007. During his twelve-season career, Nevin had a .270 batting average with 208 home runs and 743 RBIs in 1,217 games. After retiring, Nevin joined the Padres' pre-game radio show. He also joined ESPN as an analyst for the college baseball regionals during the College World Series.

Coaching career

Two seasons removed from his playing career, Nevin decided to return to baseball as a manager in 2008. Nevin planned to return to the Flyers in 2010, but a chance meeting at baseball's winter meetings led to Nevin's hiring as manager of the Erie SeaWolves, the Class-AA minor-league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He replaced the previous manager, Tom Brookens after Brookens was promoted to the Tigers' major-league first-base coach.

Nevin managed the SeaWolves for one season. On November 11, 2010, Nevin was named manager of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers' Class AAA minor league affiliate, and began to be considered as a potential future MLB manager. Catcher Omir Santos described his managing the Mud Hens as "like having a big league manager in [Class AAA]." 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.

The Arizona Diamondbacks named Nevin as manager of the Reno Aces, their Class AAA affiliate, for the 2014 season. 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. However Nevin remained the manager of the Reno Aces for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

On November 7, 2016, the San Francisco Giants named Nevin their third-base coach for the 2017 season, succeeding Roberto Kelly. The Yankees did not renew his contract for the 2022 season.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 29, 2021, Nevin was hired by the Los Angeles Angels to serve as the team's third base coach for the 2022 season. On June 7, 2022, following the firing of Joe Maddon, Nevin was named the Angels' interim manager. On the same day, Nevin managed his first game, but lost to the Boston 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. On June 27, 2022, Nevin was suspended 10 games for the intentional throwing at Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker by Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz while warnings were in place during a game against the Mariners the previous day.

On October 5, 2022, the Angels retained Nevin as the team's manager for the 2023 season. 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. After finishing the 2023 season with a record, the Angels announced that Nevin would not return to the organization for the 2024 season.

Managerial record

Personal life

Nevin was diagnosed with asthma 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 also allergic to grass. At 19 years old, he told the Los Angeles Times that he had half the lung capacity of a typical 17-year-old.

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. 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. His son, Tyler, made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021. Another son, Kyle, played college baseball for Baylor University and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 MLB draft.

Nevin lives in the Heritage Estates neighborhood of Poway, California, along with San Diego sporting figures including Bruce Bochy and LaDainian Tomlinson. The neighborhood suffered significant damage in the October 2007 California wildfires. Nevin hosted a baseball camp for children aged six through 16 in 2010.

On May 11, 2021, the Yankees announced that Nevin had tested positive for COVID-19. He also developed a staph infection, and lost 20 lbs.

References

References

1. (1989-11-20). "1989 Major League Baseball Draft, Rounds 1–10". Pro Sports Transactions.
2. (May 30, 1992). "Fullerton's Nevin Soon Will Be Rich". Press-Telegram.
3. White, Lonnie. (June 2, 1992). "Astros Make Nevin No. 1 Selection of Draft: Baseball: The Cal State Fullerton third baseman is one of six Southland players picked during the first round". Los Angeles Times.
4. DiGiovanna, Mike. (May 30, 1992). "Notebook: Experience Helps Titans' Nevin Feel Relaxed at Plate". Los Angeles Times.
5. (November 19, 1992). "Top draft pick Nevin wins Golden Spikes". [[Lakeland Ledger]].
6. (May 18, 1990). "Titans' Nevin to Play Baseball for Team U.S.A.". Los Angeles Times.
7. DiGiovanna, Mike. (July 24, 1990). "Nevin Released by Team U.S.A.". Los Angeles Times.
8. Olney, Buster. (August 23, 2004). "Jeter: Dynasty's child". ESPN.
9. (June 2, 1992). "Astros nab Nevin with first pick: Cal State-Fullerton standout not expected to toil long in minors". The Victoria Advocate.
10. (August 18, 1995). "Baseball Notebook: Nevin Expected to Join Hens Soon". Toledo Blade.
11. Greene, Jerry. (March 1, 1995). "Astros To Send Packing Players Who Won't Play". Orlando Sentinel.
12. Molony, Jim. (March 1, 1995). "Astros give minor leaguers ultimatum". USA Today.
13. Beaton, Rod. (May 5, 1995). "Astros, Nevin look at demotion in different ways". USA Today.
14. Kepner, Tyler. (June 5, 2010). "Five Players Who Outranked Jeter, if Only Briefly". [[The New York Times]].
15. (July 5, 1995). "The week's hotseat". Record-Journal.
16. (July 18, 1995). "Astros' Nevin learning to control temper woes". The Victoria Advocate.
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18. "2001 National League Third Base". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
19. (May 31, 2002). "Padres Lose Game, Nevin and Burroughs". Los Angeles Times.
20. Wilson, Bernie. (September 14, 2002). "Nevin apologetic for obscene gesture". The Victoria Advocate.
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30. Reusse, Patrick. (September 18, 2006). "Newcomer Phil Nevin is reveling in a pennant race and marveling at the skill of his teammates". [[Star Tribune]].
31. Ortiz, Jorge L.. (October 6, 2006). "A's sweep Twins, secure spot in ALCS". USA Today.
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33. (May 12, 2007). "Phil Nevin, top draft pick in '92, retires from baseball". [[ESPN]].
34. Schmehl, James. (December 10, 2009). "Tigers reportedly hire former third baseman Phil Nevin as Double-A Erie manager". MLive.
35. Acee, Kevin. (April 18, 2012). "Nevin managing just fine". San Diego Union-Tribune.
36. (August 31, 2013). "Mud Hens call press conference, announce Nevin will be fired". [[Toledo Blade]].
37. Little, Josh. "Aces Hire Phil Nevin as Manager". [[KOLO-TV]].
38. McTaggart, Brian. (2014-09-25). "Astros get permission to interview Nevin for skipper's job". MLB.com.
39. Haft, Chris. (November 7, 2016). "Giants add Alguacil, Nevin to coaching staff: With 1st-, 3rd-base coaches' vacancies filled, San Francisco will turn to alumnus Bonds". MLB.
40. Hoch, Bryan. (December 23, 2017). "Nevin: Joining Yanks' ranks 'something special': New third-base coach looking forward to 2018". MLB.com.
41. Martin, Dan. (October 14, 2021). "Yankees oust Marcus Thames, Phil Nevin in major staff shakeup".
42. Cisneros, Jacob. (November 29, 2021). "Angels need to embrace old school mentality with Phil Nevin hiring".
43. (2022-06-07). "Angels fire manager Maddon, name Nevin interim manager". TSN.
44. (June 7, 2022). "Angels dismiss Maddon amid 12-game losing streak". [[Major League Baseball.
45. (10 June 2022). "Angels snap 14-game skid thanks to Shohei Ohtani and Andrew Velazquez". [[Associated Press]].
46. (June 27, 2022). "Angels manager Phil Nevin suspended 10 games for role in Sunday's brawl vs. Mariners".
47. (October 5, 2022). "'Ecstatic' Nevin signs one-year contract through 2023". MLB.com.
48. (October 5, 2022). "Los Angeles Angels retain Phil Nevin as manager for 2023 season". ESPN.com.
49. (April 20, 2023). "Angels manager Nevin ejected twice from same game". [[AP News]].
50. (October 2, 2023). "Phil Nevin won't return as manager of Los Angeles Angels".
51. (27 May 1990). "Nevin Doesn't Let Asthma Keep Him Out of Any Game". [[Los Angeles Times]].
52. Robb, Sharon. (July 23, 1992). "Diamond Daddy Phil Nevin's Biggest Hit Didn't Even Come At The Ballpark. It Was The Birth Of His Daughter". [[Sun Sentinel]].
53. Newhan, Ross. (June 7, 2000). "Turning The Corner: Padres' Nevin Finally Has a Handle on His Life and Career". Los Angeles Times.
54. (August 22, 2001). "Nevin Leaves Team To Be With Expecting Wife". Lodi News-Sentinel.
55. (July 21, 2021). "How Making Big League Debut Is Helping Orioles Prospect Tyler Nevin Develop". PressBoxOnline.com.
56. Monahan, Terry. (April 18, 2019). "Nevin grows into role as Titan baseball leader".
57. Trezza, Joe. (July 19, 2022). "Dodgers call familiar names -- Nevin and Karros -- in Draft". mlb.com.
58. Krasovic, Tom. (October 23, 2007). "Nevin: Poway looks like 'Mars'". SignOnSanDiego.com.
59. (August 9, 2010). "2010 Phil Nevin Baseball Skills Camp". [[Minor League Baseball]].
60. Kuty, Brendan. (June 4, 2021). "Yankees pitching coach's phone call may have saved Phil Nevin's life".