What do we know about Phil Nevin as the Angels’ Manager?

[BTH]

There were three managerial introductory press conferences today, which got me thinking: what do we know about Phil Nevin as the Angels’ manager?

Managers introduced today were talking about their style and vision for their teams, but I have no idea what Nevin’s style and vision is for the Angels.

Nevin didn’t really have an introductory press conference since he was named interim manager mid-season and the focus was more on the decision to fire Maddon rather than promote Nevin.

Maybe @Jeff Fletcher can speak best to this since he presumably had many conversations with Nevin throughout the season.

 

Also during those introductory press conferences, the GM was present to explain why they chose that manager.

What did Perry like about Nevin that led him to hire him initially as third base coach and then to promote and extend Nevin?

Edited November 3, 2022 by Trendon

[Angelsfan1984]

Not much to worry about when it comes to his vision. He’ll get fired right after the new owner gets settled in. 

[BTH]

8 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Not much to worry about when it comes to his vision. He’ll get fired right after the new owner gets settled in. 

Yeah, but he’s still gonna be the manager in 2023– so his vision for 2023 matters.

[mmc]

His vision is to do what the front office tells him to do so he can hopefully keep his job beyond this season

[Blarg]

57 minutes ago, Trendon said:

What did Perry like about Nevin that led him to hire him initially as third base coach and then to promote and extend Nevin?

Minasian didn't hire Nevin. He was a legacy from Eppler. 

[Taylor]

He's a warm body who gets along well enough with the players.

[Inside Pitch]

10 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Minasian didn't hire Nevin. He was a legacy from Eppler. 

Thats a big negatory...  

[Blarg]

You're right, got him mixed up with others. I thought Eppler hired him with Maddon's crew. 

[jsnpritchett]

21 minutes ago, Taylor said:

He's a warm body who gets along well enough with the players.

Yeah, that's pretty much my take.  As much as I wish it wasn't the case, I imagine he won't really be able to articulate any sort of vision for 2023 (or beyond), especially at this point since everything is in flux.  I'm not all that concerned about it.  I'm prepared for next year to be a transitional year, so anything that happens that's even mildly positive will be a pleasant surprise.

[Angelsfan1984]

1 hour ago, Trendon said:

Yeah, but he’s still gonna be the manager in 2023– so his vision for 2023 matters.

The reason he got extended for 1 year was to bring continuity to the current club. He won't be a positive or a negative and ultimately hes going to be a yes man to Minasian (who also probably gets canned when the new owner comes in). Hes a lame duck coach that i wouldn't put much stock into, other than getting the team ready to play every day. 

[Angels 1961]

He's my pick for MOY in 2023.

[BTH]

3 hours ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

The reason he got extended for 1 year was to bring continuity to the current club. He won't be a positive or a negative and ultimately hes going to be a yes man to Minasian (who also probably gets canned when the new owner comes in). Hes a lame duck coach that i wouldn't put much stock into, other than getting the team ready to play every day. 

Yes, I’m well aware of why he got extended and the uncertainty created due to the pending sale.

But do we know that he’s a “yes man” to Perry? Without that confirmation, I worry he could go off script and not be an extension of the front office.

[BTH]

4 hours ago, mmc said:

His vision is to do what the front office tells him to do so he can hopefully keep his job beyond this season

That’s what you’d assume, but do we know that for sure?

My biggest worry is that I’m not sure how deep into analytics he is. He may be into analytics, but he also played during a time period where analytics weren’t at the forefront.
 

It’s stuff like that where I feel we know nothing about him and I wish we knew more.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Trendon

[T.G.]

He's @Swordsman78's uncle.

[Jay]

When the front office calls down to the dugout, pick up the phone.

[Stradling]

He’s an upgrade over Maddon.  That’s one thing we know 

[Docwaukee]

All we know is what we've seen of him which is probably more indicative of what to expect vs. what he or his GM might say in a presser.  

So what I know is:

- He's pretty fiery and not afraid to start shit 
- It seems the players liked him
- Whether he embraces analytics or not, he's clearly willing to listen and execute what Minasian wants or he wouldn't have retained him.   It might be that he knows he doesn't have enough experience to push back at this point and wants to establish himself.  
- Under Nevin's watch, the pen produced 2.58 WPA with a 93 to 52 shutdown to meltdown ratio.  Under Maddon, -3.33 WPA with a 43 to 37 shutdown to meltdown ratio.  Interestingly, FIP was similar under both.   So whatever caused this, the combo of Nevin working with Minasian got better results.  

So who knows.  But I think we have a decent feel for what to expect.  
  


 

[Jeff Fletcher]

You can Google the stories I wrote about Nevin back in June. 

[BTH]

1 hour ago, Docwaukee said:

- Under Nevin's watch, the pen produced 2.58 WPA with a 93 to 52 shutdown to meltdown ratio.  Under Maddon, -3.33 WPA with a 43 to 37 shutdown to meltdown ratio.  Interestingly, FIP was similar under both.   So whatever caused this, the combo of Nevin working with Minasian got better results.  

This is an interesting comparison, thanks for pointing it out.

Maddon also had a better bullpen to work with, as he had Iglesias and Ortega before he collapsed.

 

[BTH]

3 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

You can Google the stories I wrote about Nevin back in June. 

Yeah, I probably should've just done that in the first place.

 

Two things I found:

A week after he was hired: “There’s information that is given to you and I know these conversations maybe 8-10 years ago with me might have been a little different,” Nevin said. “But you certainly learn to grow in the game and understand and evolve, not just with the players, but strategies and intricacies of what this game means. It’s something that I’ve learned to embrace.”

Towards the end of the season: “For me, it’s been really good, really informative for me,” Nevin said. “I never looked at it as being any sort of interference to what we’re doing. I’ve been able to make lineups. I’ve been able to manage games. We discuss things, certainly, but what my job is, I feel like it’s been great. That’s all I want to say about that. The communication has been really good. I never had once thought there’s been interference on my end.”

 

Unlike Maddon, he doesn't seem to hate the front office having a presence.

[Angelsfan1984]

I don’t think minasian let’s go of an experienced coach who doesn’t listen to him for another who won’t. He’s a yes man. 
 

minasian is fighting for a job as well and at this point he’s also a lame duck. He needs someone who will implement what his plan is so he can show the next owner that his methods work. 

[Stradling]

9 hours ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

I don’t think minasian let’s go of an experienced coach who doesn’t listen to him for another who won’t. He’s a yes man. 
 

minasian is fighting for a job as well and at this point he’s also a lame duck. He needs someone who will implement what his plan is so he can show the next owner that his methods work. 

“A yes man”?  How bout he’s someone willing to implement the front office strategy?  Kinda like Dave Roberts or Kevin Cash.  Or he doesn’t have to be the smartest man in the room.  Or he’s a team player.  I guess I just don’t envision a yes man as a guy that makes sure his team retaliates when they throw towards the head of Trout. 

[Angels 1961]

Unlike Dave Roberts he will not guarantee a WS title

[Second Base]

Managers are worthless. In Nevin's case, he's Minasian's puppet. His existence in the dugout is simply so that Perry wears a suit or a polo instead of a uniform.

It's a lucrative job with little meaning or impact. A perfect job for former ball players that don't want to sit at home and do nothing. 

[Dtwncbad]

The central, most important thing that I really, really like about Phil Nevin is that he is not Joe Maddon.