Home Welcome Sight to the Angels’ Nevin

There were perks that went along with being traded to the Angels and Phil Nevin can rattle them off, even prioritize them.

“I can take my laundry over to Mom, things like that,” Nevin said.

Terry Nevin is amused that more than one person has asked if her prodigal son will be staying in his old room.

“He can come over,” she said. “He knows where the washing machine is and I’ll show him where we keep the soap.”

Things do tend come out in the wash. Six years after being named the national player of the year at Cal State Fullerton, selected first in the draft by the Houston Astros and starting a professional career labeled a sure thing, Nevin has come home.

The Angels acquired Nevin for his bat, and he’s already had key hits on the season-opening homestand. He was expected to be a utility player, but with catcher Todd Greene rehabilitating from shoulder surgery, Nevin is sharing catching duties with Matt Walbeck.

None of this success comes as a surprise to Nevin, who believed that coming back to Orange County would invigorate his career.

After all, this is where he starred for El Dorado High School, winning a Southern Section title in 1989. At Fullerton, he led the Titans to the College World Series championship game in 1992.

The success story went south the minute Nevin went national. And now that he’s back home, Nevin is hearing how difficult playing here is going to be.

Confused? You bet.

“I’ve played here all my life,” Nevin said. “I did all right at El Dorado and Fullerton. I’m going to be able to see my family every day, my mom and dad, and I have a daughter who lives in San Diego. What’s going to be hard about it?”

Besides, leaving town didn’t exactly go smoothly, in case people hadn’t noticed.

Houston, then managed by Angel Manager Terry Collins, gave up on Nevin in 1995, trading him to Detroit.

Tiger officials wanted to make Nevin a catcher, and sent him to double-A Jacksonville to learn the trade. Last season, he was a utility player with the Tigers and hit .235 with nine home runs and 35 runs batted in, his best year in a short major league career.

Nevin was shipped to the Angels, with Walbeck, during the off-season for minor league pitcher Nick Skuse.

Washed up at 27?

“It seems like there are all these expectations with being drafted first,” Nevin said. “It’s different than basketball and football. You have aluminum bats and the talent level is so different. You can’t use the draft as a way to gauge a player. Look at all the late-round guys who turn out to be good.”

The Angels aren’t asking Nevin to live up to that No. 1-selection stature. They have Darin Erstad, the top pick in 1995, for that. Nevin was expected to play here and there, from the outfield to third base to catcher, with some pinch-hitting tossed in.

“Gene Mauch told Phil in spring that he was too young to consider himself a utility player,” Collins said. “Phil has taken that to heart.”

With Greene out, Nevin and Walbeck are sharing the catching job, even if Nevin’s experience was limited to a five major league games behind the plate before this season.

At the plate, Nevin has been everything the Angels expected. He drove in three runs, two with a double, against the Yankees last week. Monday, he broke a scoreless tie with a home run that hit the back of the visitors bullpen 427 feet away.

“I’ve never had a good spring before, so this feels weird,” Nevin said. “Honestly, I didn’t hit a lot before I came to spring training this time. In fact, I only hit once against live pitching. I really cut back my baseball activity and concentrated on getting in the best shape possible.

“It takes you a little while to learn what the grind is all about. It’s a long season, maybe I was wearing myself out. I was married and maybe I wanted to get out of the house all the time, so I went out and hit. I’m on my own now, so it’s a little different.”

Well, he won’t be quite on his own in Anaheim.

There is his 8-year-old daughter, Koral, and his 10-month old son, Tyler. And his parents.

“The only thing I worry about is I’m not going to get anything done,” said Terry Nevin, a teacher. “It was bad enough when I was watching him on the satellite. Now he’s actually at the stadium down the road.”

Not that Nevin should feel any pressure. He’ll just be playing in front of his family, a few close friends, some ex-classmates, maybe even a couple of former co-workers--Nevin sold souvenirs at Anaheim Stadium when he was 16.

“Phil feels comfortable with it, which is nice, because it can be tough,” Collins said. “There are a lot of people asking for a part of your day.”

Among other things.

“The hardest part is people asking for tickets,” Terry Nevin said. “When he was with Detroit, the other players didn’t know anybody so Phil could always get their tickets. Everyone on the Angels has their own family and friends to take care of. Phil doesn’t need us hounding him for this, that and the other thing.

“When we talk on the phone, we hardly ever talk baseball. It’s his job. It would be like if he called me every day and asked how school went. Unfortunately, everyone knows what he does on the job every day.”

Terry Nevin will handle the ticket requests and nutrition. “He likes my cooking. I’ll cook for him.”

All Nevin has to do clean his plate, clean up at the plate, and, oh, do his own laundry.

“I grew up 10 minutes from Anaheim Stadium,” Nevin said. “My initial reaction, of course, was that I was coming home to play. But I’m also going from a team where the goal was to finish .500. Here, if we’re not playing late into October, we are going to be upset. That’s a pretty good feeling to have.”