Ex-Yankees Coach to Join Phil Nevin on Angels' Coaching Staff

Marcus Thames is the new hitting coach in Los Angeles, joining Angels manager Phil Nevin.

Max Goodman | Nov 7, 2022

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Phil Nevin is getting the band back together on the West Coast.

The Angels manager, who previously served as the Yankees third base coach, is adding another ex-Yankees coach to his staff in Los Angeles.

Marcus Thames is the new hitting coach for the Angels, the team announced on Monday, per Sam Blum of The Athletic.

Thames began his tenure as New York's hitting coach back in 2017. Nevin was named the third base coach in the Bronx one year later, both serving under manager Aaron Boone. After the 2021 season, Nevin and Thames were notified that they wouldn't be back in 2022. The Yankees elected not to renew their contracts.

Nevin signed a one-year contract last month to return as the Angels manager in 2023. He took over as Los Angeles' interim manager this summer—transitioning from third base coach to skipper in Anaheim—after Joe Maddon was relieved of his duties in June.

Last offseason, the Yankees replaced Thames with Dillon Lawson, a rising star within the organization. Lawson was New York's minor league hitting coordinator from 2019 to 2021. Ex-Mets manager Luis Rojas was hired to serve as New York's third base coach.

Thames worked as the hitting coach on the Miami Marlins in 2022. Now, he has a chance to help bring the best out of stars like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

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Published Nov 7, 2022

MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.