Former SF Giants coach, Angels manager in the running for White Sox manager job

Former SF Giants coach and Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin could return to the dugout soon enough. He is among the known candidates for the Chicago White Sox managerial vacancy according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Former SF Giants coach, Angels manager in the running for White Sox manager job

Heyman notes that Will Venable and Grady Sizemore remain in the running while Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard is out of the mix. Interestingly, he also notes that the White Sox also have interest in Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz.

Albernaz served as the Giants' bullpen and catching coach for four seasons on Gabe Kapler's staff. Albernaz is considered one of the top candidates for the Miami Marlins managerial vacancy with Kapler now serving as an assistant general manager for Miami.

On the other hand, Phil Nevin is one of the few candidates with managerial experience. Before becoming a coach, Nevin spent 12 seasons in the majors, most notably with the San Diego Padres and made one All-Star appearance (2001) during that time.

When his playing days came to an end, Nevin could not stay away from the game. He served as a manager in the minors for both the Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations for nearly 10 years before he landed his first coaching gig on a major league staff.

That came with the Giants in 2017. He was hired to be the team's third base coach, replacing Roberto Kelly in that role. The veteran infielder played under Bruce Bochy during his stint with the Padres and was seen as a potential successor to the longtime Giants skipper.

That proved to be a short-lived idea as Nevin remained with the Giants for one season before making a lateral move to join the New York Yankees coaching staff. He remained in that role through the 2021 season but became the Angels' third base coach beginning in 2022.

When Joe Maddon was fired as the Angels' manager in 2022, Nevin was tagged as the interim manager and held that position through the end of the 2023 season but was not retained.

If Heyman's report is accurate, Nevin will be going up against a pair of former big league outfielders in Will Venable and Grady Sizemore. Sizemore could have the inside track as he was tabbed to be Chicago's interim manager when Pedro Grifol was let go.