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Can former top pick Phil Nevin return to majors as manager?
Phil Nevin's route to the major leagues as a player was hardly a direct one, even though he was the No.1 overall draft pick by the Houston Astros in 1992. (The decision to pick Nevin over Derek Jeter(notes) upset scout Hal Newhouser so much that he quit his job and left baseball altogether.)
No. 1 picks are often foundational players for a team. Think of names like Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones(notes), and Joe Mauer(notes). They get big money to start and often find themselves on career tracks that don't lead to coaching and managing. But by Nevin's third season, he wasn't panning out like a Junior or a Chipper and the Astros gave upon him, making him the player to be named later in a 1995 deal with the Detroit Tigers for reliever Mike Henneman.
In three seasons with Detroit, the Tigers couldn't figure out whether to make Nevin a third baseman, outfielder or catcher. They dealt him to the then-Anaheim Angels. After one season, the Angels were so impressed that they sent Nevin to the San Diego Padres.
In San Diego, Nevin finally thrived, developing into the player he was expected to be out of college. His highlight season was 2001, when he hit .306/.388/.588 with 41 home runs and 126 RBIs. From there, he played five more seasons in the majors, also making stops with the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins.
Nevin was a late bloomer, but showing the perseverance that allowed him to eventually realize his talent after numerous setbacks is the sort of example the Tigers are now hoping he can pass along to their minor leaguers.
After one season leading their Class AA club at Erie, Nevin was promoted to manage the Tigers' Triple-A team in Toledo last week. That's a pretty fast rise for someone who was managing in a California independent league two years ago (and working in TV before that).
But as Nevin says, his unusual career path gives him an asset in managing.
"I think it is, because I've seen just about everything," [Nevin said.] "I was a top pick, but I struggled and got sent down. I became a utility player, I learned how to catch. I had some good years as a player and got into the playoffs.
"I've seen just about all sides of the game, and I think that helps me relate to a lot of different players."
If Nevin makes it back to the majors as a manager, he'd be the first No. 1 overall pick to do so. Tim Foli (the top pick from 1968) has managed in the high minors, but it's unusual for No. 1s to even coach in the big leagues. Harold Baines or Tim Belcher are current exceptions — and Belcher someday could beat Nevin to the top job in the dugout.
Nevin is unlikely to move to the majors as fast as he jumped up from Class AA. Jim Leyland is in the last year of his contract in Detroit, and if he doesn't earn a contract extension, Tom Brookens (who preceded Nevin in Erie) might be the heir apparent for that job.
But if Nevin bides his time and develops the necessary tools for success, as he did as a player, who's to say he won't be back in a major league dugout soon? He already proved once he knows the way.
