TEMPE, Ariz. – Brandon Drury admits his love for the Angels of the early 2000s was so rich he pretended he was the players on his favorite team.
Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Adam Kennedy, Scott Spiezio, David Eckstein. At 11 years old, Drury imagined he was them, playing in the 2002 World Series.
“I would just kind of mess around with some of them and do stuff at the house with my family, doing (batting) stances or whatever,” said Drury, who wears No. 23 and appeared to do his best Spiezio impression with an RBI double in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.
Drury grew up in Oregon, but yearly family vacations to Southern California sealed his affinity for the Angels.
So putting on the team’s jersey this spring, after signing a two-year, $17 million deal, has something of a familiar feel. But it’s really his familiarity with manager Phil Nevin that has him comfortable in a clubhouse full of players he is getting to know for the first time.
Once a prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization after he was drafted in the 13th round in 2010, Drury was sent in a package deal to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Justin Upton in 2013.
That move eventually brought Drury and Nevin together. For 63 games in 2015, the partnership was pure gold. Drury batted .331 in a Reno Aces uniform with Nevin as his manager and made his major-league debut with the Diamondbacks later that year.
Nevin’s impression on Drury was strong.
“It’s really good to have somebody like that,” Drury said of the reunion. “He keeps us in check and it’s something I respect about him. He keeps things simple, he wants you go out about your business and play hard to win and it’s not much more than that.”
More of a line-drive hitter as a younger player, Drury has tapped into his power potential in recent seasons. In parts of eight major-league seasons, Drury has 79 home runs, but 28 came last season in stints with the Cincinnati Reds and San…
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