The White Sox have hired former Angeles manager Phil Nevin as a special assistant in the club’s player development department.
Nevin was once considered a finalist for the White Sox managerial job but was passed over for Will Venable. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Nevin will be deployed in a variety of player development roles which includes being involved in amateur scouting for the 2025 draft.
Nevin was handed the Angels lineup card after Joe Madden was fired in June of the 2022 season. He was awarded a one-year extension after posting a 46-59 record to close out the season. In 2023 the Angels went 73-89 which was not enough for the Angels front office to award him another season. He interviewed for the Padres managerial job this offseason but has not been in an MLB dugout since parting ways with the Angels. He will now try his hand in a front office role.
Lack of player development has been something the White Sox have been criticized for in the past. With a handful of young talent in the farm system, White Sox general manager Chris Getz wants to ensure mistakes from the last failed rebuild attempt are not repeated.
Nevin is the latest in a series of hires Getz has made to try and improve the structure of the organization. This offseason he brought in David Keller from the New York Mets to oversee international scouting as Special Assistant to the GM. He also added Walker McKinven from the Brewers to be the team’s bench coach and Ryan Fuller from the Orioles to serve as hitting director.