Jeff Nelson (baseball player)

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Jeffrey Allan Nelson (born November 17, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland), is a middle relief pitcher. His contract is currently owned by the Chicago White Sox, but he is inactive (disabled list). He bats and throws right-handed.

Before the 2005 season, Seattle signed Nelson to a minor league contract, his third stint with the club. The reliever previously pitched with the Mariners from 1992-1995 and again from 2001-2003. He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most games pitched with 383 and has a 23-20 record with the Mariners. After the 2005 spring training, he made the 25-man roster.

Nelson is a respected slider specialist equally effective against batters from both sides of the plate. He is also known for his three-quarters sidearm delivery, and throws a cut 90-MPH fastball as well.

Jeff Nelson about to throw a pitch to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, May, 2005. Photo taken during Nelson's third stint with the Seattle Mariners.

Before the 1996 season, Nelson was sent to the New York Yankees and returned to Seattle as a free agent in 2001. In that season he made the American League All-Star team. Nelson's All-Star selection was considered an innovative move by AL manager Joe Torre, as Nelson's role of middle relief was traditionally overlooked during All-Star selection. From 2001-2003, he formed the right side of Seattle's potent lefty/righty setup squad along with left handed pitcher Arthur Rhodes.

Nelson was traded to the Yankees during the 2003 midseason. In the postseason, he reinforced his prestige as a great reliever. Nelson pitched effectively against the Red Sox, Twins and Marlins, as the Yankees fell just short of the 2003 World Series title. Moreover, Nelson was unable to keep his usual cool off the mound. He engaged in a fist fight with a member of the Fenway Park grounds crew during the tumultuous Game 3 of the ALCS.

In 2004, Nelson appeared in 29 games for the Texas Rangers, going 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA. He was on the disabled list twice with a sort of injuries to his right knee and right elbow.

In the 2005 offseason, Nelson signed a minor-league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, but was released before the season began. He was than picked up by the White Sox. On June 8, 2006, Nelson announced that he would undergo surgery to relieve a nerve in his right elbow. The operation is believed to mark the end of Nelson's active baseball career.

In his major league career as of the end of the 2006 season, Nelson has pitched in 798 games with a 48-45 record. In 20 post-season games he has compiled a 2-3 mark with 62 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings.

[edit] An outspoken pitcher

• Nelson has fallen out of favor with the Mariners and Yankees as a result of his frank criticisms. Oddly, he has almost always been vindicated in his analysis.
• In 2000, Nelson told the New York press that Yankees manager and All-Star Game skipper Joe Torre would regret not naming him to the AL team at the mid-summer classic. Then, he returned to Seattle as a free agent in 2001, where he produced the best season of his career and earned his coveted All-Star selection.
• In 2003, Nelson blasted Seattle management when they failed to sign an impact player at the trading deadline. Then, Nelson was traded to the Yankees, where he played a pivotal role in the postseason. The Mariners slowly lost the AL West lead and failed to make the post season by a very small margin. Further, the team's reluctance to spend money resulted in their collapse in 2004, when the Mariners lost 99 games.
• Nelson has stated that when his playing career concludes he would like to become a baseball broadcaster. He currently frequently fills in on sports radio KJR-AM in Seattle.

[edit] External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• ESPN profile and daily updates