'Really proud of him': Tyler Nevin happy to see dad get managerial opportunity

KANSAS CITY -- Tyler Nevin remembers fondly the phone calls that went out when he was told he was being promoted to the Majors last September. It consisted of alerts to friends and family members, some happy tears shared, and an especially emotional talk with his father, longtime coach and former big leaguer Phil Nevin.

Tuesday was a similar feeling.

That’s when Tyler Nevin heard from his father that he was being promoted to the role of interim Angels manager following the dismissal of Joe Maddon. Long years toiling away in support roles and in the Minors had finally paid off -- and the happy call of promotion was on the other foot.

“He's worked really hard for this, played a long time,” Tyler said on Thursday, before the O’s opened a four-game set against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. “And that's, frankly, why he's still in the game. He wants it. He wants a shot to manage a team. He wants to win a World Series. This is the first step doing that. Really proud of him.”

Outside of a Spring Training contest in 2021, never has Tyler been able to play alongside, against or even in front of his father in a big league setting. When Tyler was called up for the first time in September of last year, Phil was still on the Yankees’ coaching staff. When the Orioles visited Anaheim this past April, Tyler was in the Minors with Triple-A Norfolk.

But now with Tyler’s spot on the O’s roster perhaps as solidified as it’s been, he’s slated to finally get the chance to play in front of his father when the Angels pay a visit to Baltimore in the second week of July.

Nevin has long used his father as a resource. Phil was a former first overall pick and 12-year Major League veteran as a corner infielder and outfielder -- like his son -- who earned an All-Star nod in 2001. But those conversations may be on hold.

“I talk to him about my at-bats a lot and tell him what I feel like is giving me fits. And now it's like, 'Well, guess he's gonna use that against me,’” Tyler laughed. “It's part of it. … But it's just funny, having those conversations, and then now he's going to pick the pitchers that face me.”

Nevin has learned more than just hitting approaches from his father. After retiring in 2006, Phil’s first break in a managerial role came spearheading the independent Orange County Flyers in ’09. A year later, he was tapped by the Tigers for their Double-A affiliate and he then spent the next six years at the Triple-A level, three with Detroit and three with Arizona, the latter closer to the family’s home in San Diego.

It was only after then that Phil Nevin got the opportunity to coach in the big leagues, the last five seasons spent manning the bases for the Giants, Yankees and Angels. Through it all -- the long red-eye flights to and from Toledo, the scraping away for any opportunity and the learning on the fly -- Tyler has been privy to someone who already served as his role model continue to craft and evolve, no matter the distance.

“We knew how much and how important it was to him, and he never missed a second when he was at home,” Tyler Nevin said. “ … He was home every chance he got, and this is just -- it's really cool to see it come full circle. Not exactly how he envisioned it, taking over in the middle of the season, but all the same. He's at the helm, and I'm very proud of him.”

The way Tyler’s seen it over the past 25 years -- shadowing his father from a young age into big league clubhouses as a player and Minor League ones as a manager -- there are few more deserving of the opportunity in Anaheim. Family bias is just a small part of that belief.

“I've been in the locker rooms of him being a player and him being a manager, and it's a lot of the same,” Tyler said. “Guys love being around him and competing with him. You can't fake it. He’s a competitor and he loves to compete and loves to win. And that's really what drives the most out of his guys, is they know that he wants it -- maybe more than them. It's a good example to follow.”