| Dave Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Nelson in 1974 | |
| Second baseman /Third baseman | |
| Born:(1944-06-20)June 20, 1944 Fort Sill, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| Died: April 22, 2018(2018-04-22) (aged 73) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 11, 1968, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1977, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .244 |
| Home runs | 20 |
| Runs batted in | 211 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
David Earl Nelson (June 20, 1944 – April 22, 2018) was an American professionalbaseballinfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball for theCleveland Indians,Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, andKansas City Royals from 1968 through 1977. He also served as one of the broadcasters for theMilwaukee Brewers onFox Sports Wisconsin.
During a period in the early 2010 season, Nelson was the team's interim radiocolor commentator over the Brewers Radio Network during road games outside of Chicago whileBob Uecker recovered from heart surgery to repair an aortic valve.[1] He was the team's first base coach for four years prior to the end of his contract. He helped to develop many players, includingKenny Lofton,Scott Podsednik andRickie Weeks.[2]
Nelson was born inFort Sill, Oklahoma.[3] He graduated fromJunipero Serra High School inGardena, California,[3] and attendedCompton Junior College andLos Angeles State College.[2] Nelson served for six years in theArmy Reserve.[2]
Nelson played his first career game with theCleveland Indians on April 11, 1968, spending two seasons with Cleveland before being traded to theWashington Senators withRon Law andHoracio Piña forDennis Higgins andBarry Moore during the 1969–70 offseason.[2][4]
In 1971, Nelson began seeing regular time in the field, coming to bat over 300 times for the first time in his career.[5] At the end of that season, Nelson scored the last run ever for the Washington Senators atRFK stadium.[6]
Nelson moved with the franchise to Texas, where he continued to gain a reputation as a base-stealing threat, stealing 51 bases in 1972.[5] He had his best year in 1973, when he played in his one and onlyAll-Star Game, playing one inning at third base but not coming to bat.[7] That year, he finished with abatting average of .286, with seven home runs and 48RBIs.[3] He remained with the Rangers until being traded to theKansas City Royals in exchange forNelson Briles following the 1975 season.[5]
Nelson spent two seasons in Kansas City, playing sparingly off the bench.[5] In 1976, he got his only taste of postseason action.[5] Pinch-hitting forTom Poquette in Game 3 of the1976 American League Championship Series against theNew York Yankees, he grounded out againstSparky Lyle.[8] He played in his final major league game on September 27, 1977, then retired after the season.[5]
In 1980, Nelson was named a coach forTexas Christian University's baseball team.[9] The following season, he returned to the majors as a coach for theChicago White Sox, where he remained until 1984.[3] Over the next two-plus decades would work in various capacities for theOakland Athletics (Director of Instruction, 1986–1987),Montreal Expos (minor league baserunning instructor, 1990–1991),Cleveland Indians (1992–1997), andMilwaukee Brewers (minor league outfield instructor, 2001–2002, first base coach, 2003–2006).[9]
Nelson was a pregame analyst for theMilwaukee Brewers onFox Sports Wisconsin.[3] He was also the Director of Milwaukee Brewers Alumni Relations.[4] His previous experience as a sportscaster was onKansas City Royals telecasts in 1979, onChicago Cubs radio broadcasts from 1988–1989, and onCleveland Indians radio broadcasts from 1998–1999.[9]
Nelson also sat on the board of directors for Open Arms Home for Children, a non-profit organization that provides homes to orphaned children affected by theHIV/AIDS pandemic inSouth Africa.[4]
Nelson died ofliver cancer on April 22, 2018, inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, at the age of 73.[4][5]
On May 26, 2012 Nelson was inducted into the Compton Community College Athletics Hall of Fame, under the category of Baseball.[4]
· Baseball Almanac