Phil Nevin, Benji Gil and Bill Hasselman will join the Angels coaching staff in 2022, with one more position yet to be filled, the team confirmed Wednesday. Nevin’s hiring had been rumored since November.
The positions of the various coaches are not yet determined.
After the 2021 season, the Angels parted ways with third-base coach Brian Butterfield, first-base coach Bruce Hines and catching coach José Molina. Major-league coach and replay coordinator Ryan Garko also left during the season to become to the Detroit Tigers director of player development.
Nevin, a former Cal State Fullerton product, had been the New York Yankees’ third-base coach. He previously spent a year as the San Francisco Giants third-base coach and several seasons as a minor-league manager. He also played 12 years in the majors, including seven years with the Padres and one with the Angels.
Gil will be taking his first job on a major-league coaching staff, after managing in the Mexican League since 2014. He also managed the Mexico team in the Olympics. Gil spent parts of eight years as a major-league infielder, including playing for the Angels from 2000 to 2003.
A former big-league catcher, Hasselman was a part of the Boston Red Sox major-league coaching staff from 2004 to 2006. Since then, he has mostly managed in the minor leagues, including with the Angels. He led the Angels’ Inland Empire team in 2013-14, before joining the Dodgers.
Related Articles
Rich Waltz will not return to Angels TV broadcasts
AP names Angels’ Shohei Ohtani as Male Athlete of Year for 2021
Angels’ Shohei Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award
Whicker: Shohei Ohtani’s season of cheerful history-making set the Angels star apart
A Baseball Hall of Fame ballot with no consideration for ‘character’
One of the candidates for the final coaching spot is Adam Eaton, according to a source. Eaton’s 10-year playing career included a stint with the Angels in the second half of 2021. An outfielder, Eaton was released in August, after just a month with the team.
Because Eaton was an active player in 2021, there is a difference of opinion between the players and MLB over whether he is currently locked out from becoming a coach in 2022, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.