Going down memory lane with Phil Nevin

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- Before Friday’s series opener, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was asked if he had a favorite story about Angels skipper Phil Nevin, whom he managed for seven seasons with the Padres from 1999-2005.

But Bochy, in his first season managing the rival Rangers, was quick to make a quip about his former pupil, who was known for his fiery temperament as a player.

“I can’t say that out loud,” Bochy said with a smile.

But Bochy then went on to describe what Nevin was like as a player before he got into coaching and managing. Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 Draft, Nevin mostly struggled in parts of five seasons with the Astros, Tigers and Angels before he found his footing with the Padres and turned into a feared slugger. His time with San Diego included a 31-homer season in 2000 and a 41-homer campaign the following year, when he was an All-Star for the only time in his career.

"He could erupt at any time,” Bochy said. “We played to win. And sometimes, I think he'll tell you it maybe got even the best of him at times. That's how emotional he could get or fiery he could get. You don't ever want to lose that and that's how he played the game. He was my cleanup hitter for a while and he did a lot of damage. You have to give him a lot of credit, because he was scrappy.”

Bochy, who led the Giants to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ‘14, also had Nevin on his coaching staff in ‘17. He praised Nevin for his passion for the game, as he noted Nevin managed in independent ball, the Minor Leagues and in winter ball as well as serving as a Major League coach for six seasons before he finally got his chance to manage the Angels.

“I really felt that he would manage one day,” Bochy said. “He really pays attention to detail and different parts of the game. So, I'm not surprised to see what he's done. He did a great job for me, and I was glad to get him as my third-base coach. He loved coaching third. He's a baseball rat. This guy loves the game."

Nevin said he learned a lot from Bochy during his time with the Padres and that the most important takeaway was to communicate with every player on the roster every day. Nevin is often seen making his rounds in the clubhouse, at the batting cage and even ventures out to the bullpen to watch the pitchers throw before the game.

“If I were to take one thing from him, it’s to touch each player every day. I feel strongly about that,” Nevin said. “If you haven’t hit everybody yet, you know where to find them. It could be the 26th player on the roster or Mike Trout and they all want to feel important throughout the day, and I try to make that happen.”

Nevin said Bochy was someone he reached out to for advice throughout the years but joked he’s been doing less of that this season now that Bochy is managing against him. But the two still exchange texts and have forged a strong bond.

“We've become good friends since my retirement and obviously we’re both doing the same job now,” Nevin said. “He’ll always be somebody I look up to -- 100 percent. [He’s] somebody I have a heck of a lot of respect for, as I think anybody around baseball does. I was very lucky to get the chance to play for him for eight years.”