Jeff Nelson (baseball)

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Jeff Nelson

Pitcher

Born: November 17, 1966 (1966-11-17) (age 41) Baltimore, Maryland
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1992 for the Seattle Mariners
Final game
June 2, 2006 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Games pitched	798
Earned run average	3.41
Strikeouts	829
Teams
Seattle Mariners (1992-1995, 2001-2003, 2005) New York Yankees (1996-2000, 2003 Texas Rangers (2004) Chicago White Sox (2006)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (2001) 4x World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Jeffrey Allan Nelson (born November 17, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland), was a middle relief pitcher. He batted and threw right-handed. Jeff Nelson retired on January 12, 2007, the same day he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. [1]

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 22nd round of the 1984 amateur draft. Player signed June 21, 1984.

In his Major League career Nelson pitched in 798 games with a 48-45 record, and with runners in scoring position and two out he held batters to a .191 batting average. In 55 post-season games (second all-time behind former teammate Mariano Rivera), he compiled a 2-3 mark with 62 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings. Among hitters whom he dominated most were Troy Glaus, who in 14 at bats was hitless with 11 strikeouts.[2]

Nelson had three stints with the Seattle Mariners (1992-1995, 2001-2003 and again in 2005). He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most games pitched (383), and has a 23-20 record with the Mariners.

1 Major League career
2 Pitching
3 Operation
4 Outspoken
5 Broadcasting
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Major League career

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.

In 2001 he held opposing batters to a .136 batting average and a .199 slugging percentage, and .074/.110 once he had two strikes on them.[3]

Nelson was traded to the Yankees during the 2003 midseason. In the postseason, his performance was so erratic that it prompted Yankees officials to openly wonder if there was something physically wrong with his pitching arm. Joe Torre remarked that an important post-season priority was "getting Nellie right". Moreover, Nelson was unable to keep his usual cool off the mound. He engaged in a fistfight with a member of the Fenway Park grounds crew during the tumultuous Game 3 of the ALCS. The Yankees lost to the Florida Marlins in the World Series and once again Nellie left the Yankees.

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.

Before the 2005 season, the Seattle Mariners signed Nelson to a minor league contract, his third stint with the club.

In the 2006 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.

[edit] Pitching

Nelson was a respected slider specialist, much more effective against righthanded batters than against lefties (who batted 55 points higher, and slugged 106 points higher, against him than did righties). He was also known for his three-quarters sidearm delivery, and threw a cut 90-MPH fastball as well.

[edit] Operation

On June 8, 2006, Nelson announced that he would undergo surgery, to relieve a nerve in his right elbow, that is likely to mark the end of Nelson's active baseball career. Following the operation on his pitching elbow, on May 10, 2007, there was controversy when he tried to sell bone chips from his elbow, removed in the operation, on eBay who cancelled the auction. Nelson, whose daughters attended Bear Creek School, was going to give half the proceeds to the School and half to the Curtis Williams Foundation.^[1]

[edit] Outspoken

Nelson fell 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 acquire an impact player at the trading deadline. Nelson was then 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.

[edit] Broadcasting

Nelson currently frequently fills in on sports radio KJR-AM in Seattle. Nelson has stated that when his playing career concludes he would like to become a baseball broadcaster.