Phil Nevin will not return as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, the team announced Monday. Nevin’s contract expired after the season, so technically he has not been fired. He was simply not offered a new contract. This ends his tenure as the club’s manager after a year-and-a-half. GM Perry Minasian will hold a press conference Tuesday, indicating he will return as GM.
Nevin, 52, took over the reins midway through the 2022 campaign when veteran skipper Joe Maddon was dismissed. He led the Angels to a 46-60 finish as the interim manager, a performance that inspired Los Angeles to give him a one-year extension as well as the official title.
Alas, Nevin proved unable to guide the Angels to their first postseason appearance since 2014. He’s now part of what could prove to be an offseason of change for the franchise, headlined by the expected departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani through free agency.
Angels star Mike Trout recently voiced his support of Nevin getting a second full season at the helm.
“I love Phil, I love playing for Phil,” Trout told Sam Blum. “He takes care of his guys. He wants the best for the team. Not being out there, because I know how much he cares about us, it just sucks.”
Nevin represents the fourth manager let go by the Angels since the end of the 2018 season. They dismissed long-time skipper Mike Scioscia in winter 2018; Brad Ausmus following the 2019 season; and Maddon, whose availability precipitated Ausmus’ quick hook, last summer. Through it all, the Angels have not enjoyed even a .500 campaign since 2015 and have not made the playoffs since 2014.
Prior to taking over the Angels, Nevin had served as a third-base coach with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. Additionally, he appeared in parts of 12 seasons as a player, amassing a .270/.343/.472 slash line (114 OPS+) and notching 15.9 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
