Angels News: Champion NBA Coach Inspired Phil Nevin's Monday Gameplan

Angels skipper is takings notes out of the five-time NBA champions page

The Angels eked out a close one in a game that took three hours to finish but had plenty of rain delays to overcome. Nonetheless, the Halos pulled out the win to end their three-game losing streak and hit .500 once again. 

Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani was on the hill but only pitched two innings due to the rain delays. Also, Angels skipper Phil Nevin had a scheduled off day for superstar slugger Mike Trout. Trout played in all previous 15 games and was due for a day off. Nevin learned his lesson from last season to give his players days off when needed, especially with Trout. The second-year skipper took a lesson from NBA head coach for the San Antonio Spurs and five-time champion Gregg Popovich. 

Angel insider for the OC Register Jeff Fletcher caught up with the 52-year-old manager and recalled something Pop had said about the MLB and rest days. 

“I remember him saying something about major league baseball and why don’t teams sit all their guys on one day, maybe when their best pitcher’s going, once in a while,” Nevin said. “You still have a chance to win, but you’re only playing short one of the days. With our depth, we don’t necessarily feel like we’re playing that short at all, as we had in the past.”

And that's precisely what Nevin did today. His best pitcher, Ohtani, was on the hill, and even though it didn't play out like he wanted, it worked out for the best. 

I like the mindset, and it should be implemented a ton more. Some teams can't afford to sit their best offensive players, but the Halos most certainly can. They're a deep team with players who have shown they can play at the big league level this season. 

We'll see how this method is played out with 146 games left to go.