to left-handed pitching. But with Ken Caminiti in the first year of a three-year contract to play as the starting third baseman, Nevin had nowhere to play defensively. The Astros assigned him to the Class AAA Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League, one level below the major leagues, where he made his professional debut. While Nevin was with the Toros, the Astros asked Toros manager Rick Sweet to play Nevin as a left fielder, which would allow the Astros to promote Nevin sooner, as he and Caminiti could play different positions. Veteran first baseman Jim Lindeman served as Nevin's mentor, helping him keep his composure under significant attention and pressure to perform. Nevin started the 1993 season with a .247 batting average, but batted .309 with baserunners in scoring position and had 49 RBIs. By July, he had made ten starts in left field, without committing an error. The Astros, however, were concerned that Nevin did not apply the level of intensity he had in "clutch" situations to cases where there were no baserunners and the score was not close. Nevin's intensity almost got the best of him during a June 1993 game with Tucson. He was taunted by a man seated in the front row, and nearly attempted to jump into the stands to confront the fan before he was restrained by teammates. The fan was arrested. Nevin played third base and left field in 1993. He batted .286 that season, with 10 home runs and 91 RBIs. He had a .359 on-base percentage (OBP) and .413 slugging percentage (SLG). Baseball America rated him the 24th best prospect before the 1994 season. He returned to Tucson that year, posting a .263 batting average with 12 home runs and 71 RBIs. He had a .343 OBP, and .393 SLG. Nevin also played first base. His major-league debut, however, was delayed both by his defense (61 errors in his first two seasons) and the MLB 1994–95 work stoppage. The Astros traded Caminiti to the San Diego Padres before the 1995 season. With Caminiti no longer blocking his path to the major leagues, Nevin hoped he would be named the Astros' starting third baseman. But the Astros did not invite him to spring training. Nevin attributed the snub to his refusal to work out with replacement players during the work stoppage. Not wanting to be seen as "scabs" by the Major