The Los Angeles Angels have parted ways with manager Phil Nevin, the team announced Monday.
Nevin managed the Angels for a season and a half, taking over for the fired Joe Maddon in June 2021 and guiding the Angels to a third-place finish. Nevin’s only full season as manager didn’t go well, as the team went 73-89 and finished fourth in the AL West.
Things looked like they might be different for the Angels in 2023, as they went 45-46 in the first half and the often-maligned front office actually went out and got some help for Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout by trading for several players, including former All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Unfortunately for the Angels, the bottom fell out. Trout appeared in just one game after July 4, as a hand injury plagued the three-time AL MVP for the remainder of the season.
Ohtani suffered an elbow injury that first shut him down as a pitcher and he then ended up sidelined as a hitter after the Angels fell out of contention. Giolito started just six games for the Angels, going 1-5 and allowing 25 runs in 32 innings before being released on Aug. 31. The Angels went 28-43 in the second half.
Nevin’s situation was unenviable, as ownership constraints make it hard for any manager to find success in Anaheim.
The Angels are the fourth managerial opening in the MLB offseason, so far, joining the New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians, and San Francisco Giants.
Social media had a lot to say about Nevin’s situation.
[MLB]
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