Phil Nevin named Mud Hens' manager!

The Toledo Mud Hens and Detroit Tigers are pleased to announce that Phil Nevin has been named Manager of Toledo for the 2011 season.

Nevin was introduced at a press conference this afternoon at Fifth Third Field.

The 39-year-old Nevin was manager for Detroit's Double-A affiliate at Erie in the Eastern League in 2010, leading the SeaWolves to a 66-76 record.

The 2010 campaign was Nevin's first year in the Tigers organization. He served as the manager of the Orange County Flyers in the Golden Baseball League, an independent league, in 2009 and compiled a record of 37-39.

Nevin was drafted #1 overall by the Houston Astros in 1992 out of Cal State-Fullerton. He spent 12 seasons at the major league level with the Houston Astros (1995), Tigers (1995-97), Anaheim Angels (1998), San Diego Padres (1999-2005), Texas Rangers (2005-06), Chicago Cubs (2006) and Minnesota Twins (2006).

He finished his career with a .270 batting average, 208 home runs and 743 RBI in 1,217 games.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to manage the Mud Hens in 2011," Nevin said. "Toledo has a tremendous fan base and a great baseball history. I'm grateful to the Tigers organization for the opportunity to manage at the Triple-A level."

Toledo Mud Hens President/General Manager Joe Napoli said, "We are thrilled to have Leon, AJ, and Matt return to Toledo as they are assets to the organization. Although we are sad to see Larry Parrish leave, the Tigers are very high on Phil Nevin. We look forward to working with Phil and we hope that he will be impressed with Fifth Third Field and the outstanding community support."

"Phil did a quality job in his first season with the organization as the manager in Erie," Tigers Vice President/Assistant General Al Avila said. "He brings the experience and knowledge of a former major league player and both are beneficial as he and the staff in Toledo work to prepare our players for the major leagues."

A.J. Sager will return to Toledo as pitching coach for his fourth season with the Mud Hens. The former Tiger pitcher will be entering his 10th season as a coach in the Detroit organization. The 45-year-old was the pitching coach with Double-A Erie in 2007 and Single-A West Michigan from 2002-06. As a pro, Sager pitched for 12 seasons from 1988-99 with the following organizations: San Diego, Colorado, Detroit & Cincinnati. In 123 overall major league appearances, Sager posted a 12-15 record with a 5.36 ERA and five saves.

Sager pitched for the Toledo Mud Hens for parts of the 1996 & 1998 seasons, compiling a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 2.76 (19 ER/62.0 IP) in 32 games (two starts). Sager now makes his home in Perrysburg, OH.

Leon "Bull" Durham returns for his 11th season as hitting coach with Toledo and his 16th season in coaching. The 53-year-old spent the previous five seasons of his coaching career with the Los Angeles Angels organization. Selected by St. Louis in the first round of the 1976 draft, the 51-year-old played 19 seasons of professional baseball. Durham was named to the National League All-Star team in 1982 and 1983 and hit 20 or more home runs on five occasions. He was also honored by the Sporting News' to the Silver Slugger team following the 1982 season after posting a career-high .312 average.

Athletic Trainer Matt Rankin will return to Toledo as well. 2011 will be Matt's 11th year with the team and his 16th season with the Detroit Tigers.